Adventures in Mira
by KentuckyTheFried
Summary: A collection of my short stories over time, inspired by AUs, gameplay, and whatever random jargon I've thought of! Be sure to read a few - I might've mentioned your Cross in here! I'll do my best to update regularly, so please enjoy!
1. insert angst here

Sylvalum had always been one of Pongo's favorite continents, but in the dead of night, he finds himself stepping cautiously through the area, his guns at his side in preparation for a surprise attack. He had left his Skell near one of the base camps, deciding instead to explore on foot. He didn't regret the decision, but as he passes a small lake swarmed by young caros, he wonders if it would be smarter to head back. Sighing, he turns away; the logical choice would be to get back to the Skell, which would increase his chances of survivability if something did attack him.

However, as he steps towards the base camp at the edge of the lake, the sky around him changes to a crimson aura. Confused at the sudden change in weather, Pongo frowns, but before he has time to question it a spine-chilling scream pierces the air. Spinning in its direction, Pongo notices that two indigens are locked in a battle - a caro and an aeviter. Both creatures of immense power, and both creatures he didn't want to engage with. So he watches the fight from afar, gripping his Dyads tighter.

The caro slashes at the aeviter with its front claws, and in retaliation the aeviter kicks out with its stumpy insectoid legs. But in terms of damage, the caro is superior, and eventually the caro bites the aeviter's unprotected wing. The aeviter screeches in pain as the caro rips the wing off of its body, sending purple blood flying onto the pure white ground. Pongo winces at the sight; although he isn't squeamish about the sight of blood, it pains him to see the aeviter losing so brutally.

The battle doesn't last for much longer, however, as the caro makes one final swing towards the face of the aeviter, clawing out its singular crystal blue eye and blinding it. In defeat, the aeviter crumples to the ground, unable to continue the fight. The caro howls in triumph and goes to make the killing blow, preparing to pounce on top of it.

And then a gunshot fills the air. Pongo doesn't realize that he shot the caro until it falls to the ground. One shot, one hole through its skull, and the beast is dead. Pongo lowers his guns, attempting to contemplate why he had felt the urge to save the aeviter. Perhaps it was out of pity, but the aeviter is hanging between the forces of life and death, so what good has he done?

Sighing, he decides to walk up to the aeviter, knowing very well that it could still try to hurt him. But as it struggles to stand up again, his scowl turns slowly to a look of sympathy. It is in so much pain...should I end its suffering?

He's directly next to the aeviter now. It can't see him, but it senses his presence and tries to omit a threatening growl. But it's mixed with pain, and it tugs at Pongo's heartstrings in ways he can't understand. I have killed hundreds of your kind before...why are you so different? He finds himself placing his guns on his back as an offering of peace - not that it can see this, of course.

"I am sorry," Is all he manages to tell the creature.

It doesn't understand, how could it? As its efforts begin to weaken, it falls on its side, its blind eye facing Pongo. He's within arm's length of it, and something possesses him to reach out to it. His pale hand strokes the rough skin of the aeviter, and a single tear escapes his pupiless indigo eyes.

"I wish I could have helped you sooner. You did not deserve this fate."

As he utters these words, the aeviter ceases to move. Pongo's eyes close for a brief moment, regretting the decision to stay out of the conflict. No creature deserves a fate such as this.

His eyes open again, and he is momentarily startled by the voice of Mira inside his mind.

You can still help. Are you willing?

He nods, but his uncertainty prompts him to ask, "How can I help it? It died…"

Everything has a soul. Souls can live on.

"How?"

Just watch.

Mira goes quiet, and the aeviter suddenly jerks as something floats out of its chest cavity: an orb of blue light, the size of a human hand, hovers in the air above the aeviter, contrasting against the crimson aura. Stepping back cautiously, Pongo's fingers touch his photon saber's hilt, which lies at his side attached to his belt. But he gets the feeling that this thing, whatever it may be, won't hurt him.

This is a soul. Every creature I have created possesses one, and once a body dies, the soul inside it can be reused to create another one. And when the soul grows old, it can be rejuvenated and become young again, thus continuing the cycle.

The soul hovers towards Pongo as Mira explains the cycle of life. No longer afraid, he allows the soul to float within inches of his face, in line with his pupiless indigo eyes.

Touch it. You will spark the soul's ability to create a new body, and the l'gaen'teroh will be reborn as a new being.

He recognizes Mira's word for 'aeviter', and he takes a deep breath as his right hand comes upwards. His fingers gently touch the surface of the soul, and he is momentarily surprised at how warm it is. Before he can react, the soul falls towards his feet, and as it hits the ground there is a small eruption of light as the soul takes a new shape. As the light dies down, Pongo's jaw drops as he gazes upon an infant Saltat, its eyes still closed and its wings tucked in against its feathery chest.

"Mira...I had no idea that you were capable of this…" He whispers, short of breath after witnessing the miracle of nature.

I have done this for countless eras. I always found it unfair that creatures couldn't have a life after death, so I created this to ensure that their souls could never die.

Pongo opens his mouth to speak, but Mira continues, its tone growing bitter.

Lately the humans have been killing many of my creatures, and it has become increasingly difficult to manage the souls' regeneration abilities. I have even seen some powerful human weapons kill the soul, which should be impossible. It pains me to see my creatures die so easily…

Pongo can't help but let a single tear fall out of his eye. "I know...It hurts."

As it should. That is a curse you must bear: whatever I feel, you must also feel. And that is one of my reasons for keeping you alive. You are much stronger than I had created you to be. You have fought for your people, the people that taught you what it means to be human. And I appreciate that from them, even after all they have done to hurt me.

The baby Saltat's eyes open and it lets out a small chirp, beginning to waddle away on unsteady feet. You are still young. You have much to learn. But I am willing to teach you, if you are willing to be taught.

Pongo nods. "I am willing. There might be some things I could teach you as well," He adds on a small chuckle.

And, to his surprise, the planet chuckles back.

I will admit, you have me curious. We have a deal.

As Pongo walks away, he thinks of an absurd question. "Hey, if you created me, that means I have a soul...so if I die, will I be reincarnated as an Ovis?"

Mira doesn't respond.


	2. Blood Love

The night had set in hours ago, the moon's light lost within the glow of the administrative district. BLADEs, at this hour, were getting off of their shifts, and Skells marched back to the barracks as operatives called it a night. But there were a few who stayed, as they worked better in the night, at their respective divisions in Division Drive. No matter the case, the administrative district was not eventful. Nothing presented itself as a threat.

Or so it seemed.

The past few days for Pongo had been hell. Upon discovering the plans of the Blood Lobster, he had avoided contact with any other humans until he collected all of the carefully scattered bombs. The search had taken a physical and mental toll on his body; he stumbles around, unable to find the strength to lift up his head, and occasionally he trips over his own two feet as he heads to the Mediators in Division Drive. The location of the second to last lobster bomb would be there, he had concluded after a thorough scan of the entire city.

And indeed, Pongo finds it behind one of the crates in the back, colored with the purple logo of the division. He picks it up, not caring about the whispers of the Mediators as they watch his actions, and opens up the bottom to press a few buttons, diffusing the bomb. He would've been filled with happiness, but now all that he feels is fatigue. Fatigue, and fear.

As he steps out of the Mediator's division, his comm device buzzes in his back pocket. Expecting it to be Elma again, he almost doesn't want to answer it. But his mind, in its scattered state, makes him answer the call. A familiar masked voice begins to speak, and immediately Pongo's fatigue diminishes, his anger beginning to show itself.

"My dear, dear Pongo! You're finally down to the last of my precious babies. Such a busy worker bee. I just want to pull all your little bits apart and see what makes you tick!"

The Blood Lobster laughs, making Pongo cringe. "But that will have to wait until you find the last toy. And I've put that one in a veeery special place."

Despite his rising anger, Pongo keeps himself calm as he asks, "Where is it?"

"Ah, such an obedient little puppet," The Blood Lobster coos, "You make Daddy so very...ANGRY." His tone shifts suddenly, "Oh, I am SO going to enjoy killing you in person! Just a bit longer now. Kyaaa ha ha ha ha! Are you EXCITED yet?"

Letting out a small sigh of content, the Blood Lobster tells him, "I left the last of my little babies with one of New LA's especially useless citizens. It's the perfect cure for their annoying little justice fetish."

Pongo's eyes widen as he immediately identifies the person the Blood Lobster refers to. "No…."

"...Well? Better find them before they go BOOM!" The Blood Lobster cackles, "The finale begins! The curtain rises! Author, author!"

And the device goes silent. Pongo closes his eyes as he places it back in his pocket. His hands clench into tight fists, and as he opens his eyes again, they hold an emotion that has rarely made itself present within him.

Rage.

Justin stands by the fountain, watching conversations unfold around him. His hands are on his hips in a dignified, heroic pose, and he smiles as he watches the people of New LA converse in peace. It is a quiet night, and he intends to keep it that way.

But his head turns as he hears someone running towards him, and he spots Pongo, one of his closest friends, sprinting at him. Justin's hands fall off of his hips as Pongo stops in front of him, gasping for breath and using his knees to support his fatigued body. Justin doesn't see anything wrong with Pongo's panicked look at first, and initiates a conversation.

"Hmm? Well, I'll be! It's the agent of justice!" As Pongo looks up at him, he grows concerned. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Is something wrong?"

Out of breath, Pongo's response is broken up by gasps. "Have...have you...been given...a stuffed lobster?"

Justin grows confused. "A stuffed...lobster? Like a hunting trophy?" He realizes what he means and he makes an "O" shape with his mouth. "Oh, you mean a stuffed toy for children. Yes, actually, I did receive one recently. The note said it was from someone I helped on an assignment - it was quite kind of them to remember. But how did you know?"

Pongo hesitates, remembering how the Blood Lobster had threatened to kill anyone he told about his little mission. But he figures that he now has all of the bombs defused, so what harm could he do now? Pongo won, and he feels a little better as he explains his scenario to Justin, who absorbs the information with a shocked expression.

"...A bomb?" He clarifies, "And they were hidden all over the city? And there were a hundred of them...oh my word! Good thing you went out and found the rest."

Justin reaches into his uniform pocket and pulls out a small stuffed lobster, handing it over to Pongo. "Er, yes, let me just hand this over to you…"

Pongo quickly takes the lobster and tears at the flap on its side, pressing the buttons to defuse the bomb once and for all. He lets out a sigh, and a laugh, and for the first time in days he smiles. "Yes! Take that, Blood Lobster! Gods…" Turning to Justin, Pongo throws the lobster towards the street and gives him a tight hug. "I got worried I would not make it in time…"

Justin chuckles, albeit awkwardly, but Pongo doesn't seem to notice or care. As they let go of each other, Justin tells him, "But when you find the evil genius behind this crime, bring down the mighty hammer of justice for me!"

Pongo nods and goes to turn away, his energy restored after saving Justin from the bomb. However, his mood turns sour as he feels his comm device buzz. Taking it out, he listens to the Blood Lobster's voice with a dark scowl.

"...It seems you've found the final piece, friend. And my preparations here are complete as well. Let's end this, shall we? I'm inside the base of those useless puppets, the Definians. Don't keep me waiting. I'm so eager to see you, I could just EXPLODE!"

The Ganglion Antropolis...he thinks to himself, time to end this, for the sake of New LA. He will pay for almost killing Justin. He will pay.

Pongo presses the button to end the call.

Pongo knows his way through the Ganglion Antropolis by now, and it doesn't take him long to reach the room where he had fought the Rexoskell. He only lets this memory plague him for a moment as he readies his guns, which he grips in both his hands. As he enters, he is surprised to see only one pink colored Skell, man made, standing near the back. He knows who this is. He is ready for whatever may come.

"Ah, it's so nice to finally meet you." The Blood Lobster's voice sounds mechanical as it echoes from inside the Skell, "My name is the Blood Lobster. Yours is Pongo. There. Now we're old friends."

He continues, "I'm so very impressed with all your hard work. And as a special treat, I'll answer one question of yours right here, right now."

One question. The only one that matters. Pongo asks, "Why did you do this?"

The Blood Lobster chuckles. "Some people just want to see the world drowned in a tidal wave of chaos and hate. Is that so wrong?"

Pongo grits his teeth at this answer, but the Blood Lobster adds, "Oh, and before we fight, would you like me to kill a few more of New LA's finest? Just to add to the drama, you understand."

Pongo opens his mouth to shout at him, but he is interrupted. "No, don't answer that. Let me answer it for you: 'Why, yes, I'd love you to kill Director General Chausson!'" He calls out, "MINIONS! Bring the captive to me!"

Pongo spins around, expecting to see the general in chains, or beaten. His fear, his rage, all of his emotions are evident in his gaze, and as the Blood Lobster laughs, he resists the urge to shoot the Skell. Chausson isn't there. No one is.

"Kyaaaa ha ha ha! Oh, that's rich! If you could have seen the look on your face! Priceless, I tell you...Anyway, question time is over. Now you and I will settle this for good and all. That is, if you can overcome the final weapon left by the Definians...the Blood Despair!"

The Skell braces itself to fight, and Pongo raises his guns. Immediately he uses Ghostwalker to gain a decoy, which makes the Blood Lobster groan. "Aww, that's cheating! But it's not like that will work…"

The Skell fires off an electric ball from its gun, and it hits Pongo square in the chest, sending him flying into a wall. He quickly gets up and fires off another art to negate his attacks. He leaps gracefully into the air as he shouts, "Combat Limbo!"

Another groan from the Blood Lobster rings through the air. "You're no fun. Fight me already!"

The Skell fires multiple rounds from its machine gun in its right hand. Pongo sprints towards his enemy, dodging each bullet with ease. Pulling out his longsword, his concentration increases as Pongo uses the right wall to leap into the air. At the highest point he shouts, "Ultraslash!", before landing on one knee behind the Skell and using his longsword to slash the back of the armor. The Blood Lobster spins around, and Pongo smiles in triumph.

But it only lasts a moment. With its brute force the Skell swipes at Pongo, again knocking him into a wall. This time, Pongo struggles to stand, blue blood leaking from his wounds. He wipes some from his lip, staring at the Skell with a fiery rage. It is in this moment that Pongo knows how to end this.

Clenching the hilt of his longsword, he runs back up to the Skell and issues his most powerful art.

"Blossom Dance!"

Slash after slash, his longsword hits its mark, and the Blood Lobster shouts, "No! NO!"

And just like that, the battle is won. The Blood Lobster's Skell falls to the ground, smoke rising from its joints. Pongo places his longsword back in its sheath and switches back to his dual guns, pointing them at the Skell in case it got up again. But instead, he watches as someone climbs out of the cockpit. Someone utterly familiar.

"Heh...victory is yours. I...knew it...Heeeee…You really are the agent of justice I longed for."

Justin.

Every part of him screams, no! This cannot be right! Justin cannot be the Blood Lobster! And yet, Pongo doesn't lower his guard, despite feeling his hands go numb and his eyes widen, an emotion dominating his gaze that he has experienced over and over again.

Heartbreak.

"Surprised?" Justin says, crossing his hands over his chest as he watches Pongo begin to break, "You didn't see this coming, did you?"

Stepping back, and lowering his guns, Pongo shakes his head as tears begin to form in his eyes. Justin smiles to himself as he witnesses him in the midst of a breakdown.

"High praise, I must say. Though that trusting nature is all part of your heroic appeal." He sighs. "You're amazing, you know that? I'd even say...perfect. Oh, my pulse is just racing right now!"

Justin doesn't see it, but this sparks some small renewal of hope in Pongo as his lips part. Justin continues, "I colluded with the Definians, planted bombs, killed scores of innocent people, all for this moment! All to become a villain worthy of you. To finally complete my story arc and earn the right to be smitten by the forces of justice."

He moves to part his dirty blonde hair before staring into Pongo's tearfilled gaze. "Now, what say we bring this story to a close? The only one fit to drop the curtain is an avatar of absolute good...you. Now end this! End the Blood Lobster's villainous plot to plunge New LA into chaos - bring down your mighty hammer of justice!"

Pongo raises his guns again, fighting the urge to fire all of his ammo into Justin's skull. How could he be so blind...and why was he destined for this life of heartbreak? What had he done to deserve such a fate? Why couldn't he be happy?

All of these questions, all of his rage and pain, all flow to his hands. He almost finds himself pulling the triggers, but something inside of him takes over. No. You are not like him. Do not do this.

And he listens.

Pongo lowers the guns, avoiding Justin's shocked gaze. "No. I will not kill you."

"Wh-what?" Justin stammers, "NO! I terrorized a city and killed innocent people just so I could die by your hand! I leaked Definian weapons to criminals in New LA! I incited them to perform horrible acts! I baited the disturbed into becoming mass murderers, all to set the stage for my perfect climax of good versus evil! Don't you see, I am your archenemy! The perfect evil! Now, come," He gestures towards himself, "Dispatch me as you see fit. Fast? Slow? I don't care. I only await your judgement."

Pongo shakes his head, staying true to his previous statement. Justin starts to grow frantic. "Come on...Come on! WHY WON'T YOU KILL ME?! If I don't die, my story can't end! Someone this brilliant and evil can't be left at large! That's not how it WORKS! It can't be!"

Pongo places his guns away, facing Justin with a look of pure hatred. "If you ever come back to the city…"

"You'll kill me!" Justin finishes.

Pongo shakes his head. "No. I will give you a fate worse than death. I will have you imprisoned for life, unable to fight, unable to do anything to the people of New LA." Taking a deep, shaky breath, he says, "Goodbye, Justin."

As he turns and walks away, Justin falls to the floor, screaming. Pongo never looks back, never averts his gaze. His tears stop falling for a moment as he is consumed with hatred, a hatred suppressed by all of his other emotions and now freely in control. He finds his way out of the Ganglion Antropolis and finds his Skell outside of the cavern's massive entrance. He doesn't get inside it; instead, he places a fist on the Skell's leg.

Why….why am I so weak?

The BLADEs in Cauldros were unsure of where the screaming came from. They never went to investigate.


	3. Family

He remembers that day.

The day he lost everything.

It was a particularly cold day on the continent they called hell, and he was out on one of the rockier mountain paths in an attempt to locate and collect supplies for the caravan. For weeks, they were ravaged by an unidentified sickness that was claiming multiple victims each week. The situation was dire, and that was what drove the pale colored Nopon to perhaps the most dangerous part of the continent, and area referred to as "Spiky Path."

As the Nopon ascended the path, it began to snow gently, a great contrast to the dangers that dwelled in the shadows. He was not cold, for he donned a blue and white fur coat that protected him from the harsh breeze. Though many believed it did nothing to camouflage him against the snowy white background of the mountains, he knew that he would wear it until the day he died, for it had been handsewn by his wife, Rekoto, with the help of their newly born daughter, Yori. The Nopon's heart was overcome with warmth as he'd filled his thoughts with his family, the two most beautiful Nopons he had the pleasure of caring for.

But these thoughts were not composed entirely of happiness. Recently, Rekoto and Yori had both contracted the sickness that so many of the Nopons had fallen victim to, and in an attempt to help them, the Nopon had found himself leaving the security of the caravan to search for medical supplies. Although he didn't know the terrain as well, he knew that the medicine he needed for them grew at higher elevations, a strange contrast to the other flora of the continents on the planet. So his stubby legs carried him up the hastily carved path, his large eyes squinting as the breeze picked up, throwing snow at his face.

The Nopon stopped as his nonexistent ears warned him of a coming presence. His wings tensed up, and his little arms reached for the small javelin he had strapped to his back. If it was a hostile indigen, then the egg-shaped Nopon wouldn't stand a chance, not on his own. And yet he knew that he would be alone, if it came down to a fight - and if the creatures on this continent were anything as he predicted them to be, a fight would be inevitable.

But if he got lucky…

The creature peered its head around the bend, and the Nopon was faced with a tall, hooved beast almost fifteen times his size. Its horns, which wrapped around its ears and protruded outwards, held icicles that dropped downwards. Its back was covered in blue and purple crystal protrusions, akin to the crystals that the Nopon had once seen floating on the horizon. The creature locked its pupiless white gaze with the Nopon, and neither of them moved for a long minute. The Nopon feared that it would attack, and he tried not to let his fear show. On this continent, fear was what could kill you.

The creature let out a puff of air through its nostrils, clouding the air around it. The Nopon blinked, and the creature bent its head as it began to turn away, disinterested in him. As soon as the creature was out of range, the Nopon let his muscles relax, and he decided to press onwards, keeping his mission as his top priority.

The path eventually ended, and the Nopon found himself perched upon a cliff overlooking the continent. In the far distance, he could make out the icy plains, and past a dense amount of fog lay the land strip that the caravan had considered settling on. As the strip was connected to the continent by a narrow bridge, they could have crossed. However, the area underneath the bridge was another concern; the strip was divided from the mainland by a bottomless chasm, a pitch black void of certain death if an unfortunate soul were to drop down. The caravan had named it "Foolish Drop."

Along the mountain's side, the Nopon realized, the herb he desired grew amongst a variety of other weeds. He used his wings to dig out some of the plants, and he placed them carefully in the back of his hood, as he lacked a bag to carry them in. Full of hope, he ran down the slope, losing his sense of caution as he raced back to the village.

The village was quiet, with only a few Nopons walking outside by the time the Nopon reached them. He saw no signs of the caravan's leader, Kitata, but he didn't worry about that. He beelined for the healing hut, intent on seeing his beloved wife and daughter. But before he could enter, the caravan's chief healer, Oyaso, stepped out of the tent, using his dark brown wing to push back the curtains. His face was solemn, causing the Nopon to ask with a frantic tone, "How is Rekoto? And Yori?"

"..." At first the healer is silent, refusing to make eye contact with the Nopon. But then, in a hushed voice, he said, "Oyaso is sorry. Rekoto and Yori...not survive…"

The Nopon's reaction could only be classified as heartbroken. For a moment, his eyes closed as he tried to process the news. His wife...his daughter...everyone he held dear to him...the Nopon tried to picture Rekoto's warm smile, Yori's first steps, how they both greeted him as he came home…

And he realized he had lost that.

The Nopon did not cry. Instead, he handed the herbs to Oyaso and asked, "Where is Kitata? Does he know?"

"Kitata...also dead." Oyaso's expression doesn't change as he explains, "Kitata found sickness after Yori, and was not as strong. Kiata died after Yori. Before Rekoto."

The Nopon was taken aback, though his connection to the dead caravan leader was not as strong as the one with his family. "Then...who is next leader of Delaggo Caravan?"

Oyaso looked up, his dark brown irises resting on the Nopon as the question is raised. "Kitata knew death was coming, so Kitata told Oyaso that...that Froyoyo would be new leader."

The Nopon's name. Froyoyo. The new caravan leader placed his wings around his body as he tried to understand. Was this supposed to be payment after losing his wife and daughter to the cold grip of death? Froyoyo sighed and gazed at the healer, trying hard to stay strong.

"Let Froyoyo see wife Rekoto and daughter Yori. One last time."

Oyaso shook his head. "Oyaso cannot let you do that. Rekoto and Yori may still have sickness, would not want Froyoyo to get sick too." Before the silence could envelop them, the healer added, "But Oyaso has gift for Froyoyo. Caravan staff, and extra addition."

He ran back into the tent, and for a moment Froyoyo was given the gift of silence. But when Oyaso ran out, he carried something in his right wing: Kitata's staff, a symbol of leadership and power over the caravan. But there was something added to its grey sharpened point and its long slender wooden pole: a pale striped scarf, tied perfectly where the two staff's parts met.

It was Rekoto's scarf.

As Oyaso handed Froyoyo the staff, he caught of whiff of Rekoto's minty scent, combined with the smell of sickness. But he tried not to let it show that his pain was growing, and instead he put on his best scowl and told Oyaso, "Froyoyo will be good leader, as good as Kitata."

"Oyaso knows," He responded with a nod, "For Froyoyo has strength of legendary heropons. Froyoyo will make great leader."

The announcement to the caravan about the switch in power was quick, and some words were exchanged to grieve for the deaths of Rekoto and Yori. But the entire event was a quiet blur in Froyoyo's mind as he shifted his mind set from being a father to being a warrior.

Froyoyo will fight for Rekoto and Yori. Froyoyo will never forget.


	4. His Fears

In the deepest part of the cesspool, a tyrant stands, feasting upon the carcasses of suids and ovises in its solitude. A creature of disgusting proportions, the tyrant had escaped the fight at the Lifehold Core and had sought refuge in Noctilum. With a plentiful food source and a cavern to call its own, it lived in peace.

But today, this would change.

A group of four BLADEs press themselves against the wall entering the cave. The only female of the group peeks around the bend, the wings on her head ruffling as a chill runs down her spine. "There he is."

The man standing next to her makes sure that he's the one closest to her. "Yup. Bagel."

The two men on the opposite side look to them both; the one with the mask over his face remains expressionless, while the other shows his concern through a pupiless gaze. "Guys...is this really a good idea? I have fought him before, and…" He looks away as dark memories cloud his mind.

The girl gives him a soft smile, trying to instill some confidence in him. "Don't worry! Together, we can defeat him!"

The masked man sighs - this is obviously too cheesy for him. But the girl doesn't notice, and instead begins to tell the team their orders in a very hushed tone, as to not attract the attention of the tyrant a few yards away.

"Alright, Ozzy and I will head in first, then Pongo, Shun, you'll go. Ozzy and I will take its back flanks while you two take its front ones. That way, we fight it from all sides."

"Sounds good to me," Ozzy, the man by her side, comments quietly.

Pongo, the man with a pupiless gaze, nods, but does not speak. And Shun, the masked one, nods along with Pongo, folding his hands over his chest. The girl takes a deep breath, exhaling through her mouth. "Alright then. Let's do this!"

She is the first to step out, followed closely by Ozzy. The blades on her back, which stretch out like wings, are pulled out of their formation as she rushes in, dealing the first blow on the tyrant. Ozzy moves left, heading to the back of the monster, whipping out his knife to deal some close blows. The tyrant screeches, not used to having the first blow be dealt on it, but retaliates almost immediately. As Shun and Pongo rush in, it whips its massive tail around in a 360 degree spin, and Ozzy has to jump back to avoid it hitting him. He calls out to the girl, "Elysia! Watch out!"

She moves just in time. The tail is inches away from hitting her mid section, but thankfully, Ozzy's warning kept her out of the way of the impact. Meanwhile, Pongo has begun to activate Ghostwalker, which Elysia knows will help if the tyrant decides to target him. Figuring he'd be okay, she turns back to the fight, pulling out her dual guns as she steps back, aiming to land some ranged attacks.

But before she can unleash any Arts, out of the corner of her eye, she spots the tyrant staring straight at Pongo. He tenses up, and his eyes flash white briefly before they widen in fear. "No, no, no! PLEASE!"

She has seen this before. He is being controlled, and as her anxiety begins to rise, she realizes that there is nothing she can do to stop this. Shun runs past her, unaware of Pongo's situation, and as Elysia watches her friend struggle, she feels the urge to run to him - maybe there is still hope.

Pongo sees her running towards him, and through the tyrant's will his sword raises to hit her. "Elysia, NO! GET BACK!"

And before she knows what's happening, he unleashes an Art: Blossom Dance. Unable to put up her defense in time, every strike hits its mark, and she gasps as she falls to the ground, unconscious. Blood leaks from the various wounds, her sweatshirt ripped up and stained with blue liquid. Pongo begins to sob, the tyrant still controlling his body, and he turns to the others, targeting Ozzy. He turns to face them, and as he sees Elysia on the ground, he screams her name. Pongo grits his teeth, trying in vain to break the control. But it was no use - the tyrant is strong, stronger than anyone could ever fathom.

The tyrant lets out an ungodly scream as it revels in its early victory, but the battle is still going. Ozzy uses Slayonet against the tyrant, dealing blow after blow with seemingly no effect. Shun has kept quiet, but every hit he lands does not draw the tyrant's attention towards him. Pongo leaps forward, using Rising Blade against Ozzy, who dodges all but one of the hits. The impact sends him flying into the cavern wall, and a snap rings through the room as he falls to the ground, struggling to regain his lost breath. Pongo's body turns to Shun, the last one standing, and the tyrant lets out another scream of pleasure.

"...son of a bitch," Shun mutters.

Still sobbing after witnessing his own uncontrolled actions, Pongo shouts, "Shun, get out of here, please! I do not want to hurt you!"

He doesn't respond. Instead, even as Pongo advances towards him, Shun looks to the tyrant and grips his photon saber tight. He shouts the name of his art before he slashes away at the tyrant's right flank.

"Starfall Rondo! Starfall Blade! Starlight Duster!"

Each one sends the tyrant back against a wall, pinned under Shun's wrath. Suddenly Pongo feels the control wear off, and he steps back, eyes wide as he watches Shun unleash the fatal Art.

"Galactic Cataclysm!"

The one hit from the enlarged blade slices at the creature's neck, and it gives one last snarl before it collapses on its side, finally dead. Shun puts his saber away and stands there, observing the carcass silently as Ozzy manages to stand. He runs to Elysia's side, shaking her shoulders roughly.

"C'mon, please wake up…."

Her eyes flutter open, and Ozzy sighs in relief. "Thank the gods. Are you alright?"

As she sits up, Elysia nods slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine...wow, that hurt…"

Ozzy helps her to stand, his hands tightening around hers. "Well, we did it! Now we won't have to deal with it any more...right?"

"Yup!" Elysia chirps with a bright smile, "It's over! Thank goodness!"

But as she turns towards Pongo, her smile fades. He has pressed himself on the farthest wall, tears streaming down his face as he watches them from a distance. His shoulders tense, he is terribly quiet, and it is apparent that all the wounds he suffered this battle were mental. Elysia realizes why this is the case.

"Pongo, it wasn't your fault. You had no control, it wasn't you."

He shakes his head. "But it was...it made me...and I could have killed you…." He bites his lip as he holds back a scream.

She steps towards him, but every step forward makes him press himself even more against the wall. "I'm not dead, though! I'm fine, save for a few scratches here and there!"

Pongo avoids her gaze, looking down as more tears roll down his cheeks. "But...how could you be so forgiving?..."

Elysia glances at Ozzy quickly before she lets go of his hand and stands in front of Pongo, grinning gently. "Because I know that you would never do anything like that on your own accords. I forgive you, because it wasn't you. The Pongo I know is too sweet and caring to hurt his friends."

Without any warning, she pulls him in for a tight hug, resting her head on his shoulders. "So that's why you should forgive yourself, too."

Pongo doesn't respond at first, but as the hug sets in, he makes sure to hold her in the same tight embrace, letting his tears fall onto her sweatshirt.

"...Thank you…" He whispers.

Pulling away, Elysia smiles. "Come on, then. Let's go home."


	5. Lyrah

She finds the city to be a work of art, yet another example of how the human race could overcome any obstacle. Despite this, Lyrah finds herself lingering outside of its large steel walls, hiding from the BLADEs who patrol the outside of the West crystalline structures that protrude out of the land around the city provide good cover, and she presses her back to the side of one, peering out to her left to see if there's way to go into the city, unnoticed. Hallix made this look so easy, she thinks with a sigh, but then again, his race was born to adapt to anything.

Lyrah is aware that the humans are not actually human - rather, they are mimeosomes, a human consciousness digitized and placed into a mechanical body. She understands the reasoning behind the actions; apparently, in this universe, Earth was destroyed and humanity had to find a way to bring a large amount of people off of the planet before the entire race was wiped out. Lyrah wishes she could've helped out, she knows that she could've been a huge asset to the humans, but she shakes her head at the thought.

No, I'd have to turn back time for that. The humans are fine, there's no need to -

The idea pops into her brain and interrupts her thoughts. What if...what if I turned myself into one of these mimeosomes? That way I could look around for Hallix without having to worry about standing out! She grins at first, but it fades into a frown. Wait, but what would happen to my real body? Wouldn't my consciousness have to leave it to go into my mimeosome? Lyrah groans. Okay okay okay, let's think - what if I used my powers to make my real body a mimeosome? That could work for a few days, and once I'm done recharging I could go back and keep looking! Yes, that'll work!

She takes one last peek at the BLADEs on duty before she raises her hands to her chest, emitting a small yellow light as her fingers touched the crystal on her dress. Immediately her form began to change: her horns shrink down and disappear, and curly brown hair falls from her scalp, ending at her shoulders. Her skin goes from snow white to a light tan, and her white dress is replaced by a white baggy work shirt and sweatpants. Her eyes remain blue, but they do not shine as they did in her true form; flecks of green surround her irises, but otherwise they are reminiscent of a human's eyes. She looks at the crystal behind her, which provides a decent reflection. Content with her new form, she grins widely.

"Perfect!"

Lyrah steps out and walks confidently toward a the BLADEs, who don't pay her any mind as she heads through the West Gate and into the city. Almost immediately her eyes widen in awe at the buildings in the distance, but as she is lost in her own little world, a truck swerves around her, almost knocking her to the ground.

"Ow!" She cries, watching the truck turn to the right to follow the road. She decides to follow it, but not before someone calls out to her.

"Hey! You alright?"

Her head turns to the voice, and sees that it belongs to a red haired boy wearing quite a lot of red. His purple eyes shine with worry as Lyrah tells him, "I'm fine! Thanks!"

He nods, smiles, and turns back to his work. Sighing, she continues on the path, keeping an eye out for Hallix. Can't be that hard to find him - can it?

She makes a left turning towards a diner, where she notices two men sitting down and chatting with each other. One of them has bright spiky white hair and eyes that remind her of a cat's, and while the other man also has white hair, it is not nearly as bright or as messy. She doesn't listen to their conversation, though it seems that they're having a friendly argument. How could she tell this? Even she cannot answer.

Continuing to search around, Lyrah finds that she has entered a place called the commercial district. Almost at once she picks out two people, a man and a woman, holding hands as they walk together on the sidewalk. She's close enough to hear a snippet of their conversation:

"How's Nyx? Is she doing okay?"

"Yup! Still shocked about everything, but she's fitting in just fine now!"

They walk out of her earshot, and Lyrah exhales loudly. Maybe it'd be a good idea to ask someone if they've seen Hallix...I mean, everyone here seems nice enough, I bet they'd tell me something - right?

So she walks up to the next person she spots, a brown haired man with squinted eyes, and says, "Excuse me, I'm looking for someone. Male, five foot eleven, brown-black hair, possibly red eyes and is wearing some form of a trench coat?"

The man turns to face her, frowning. "I might've seen someone like that, but I'd like payment before I can say anything."

"...what? I don't have -"

"I only accept payment in the form of dank memes."

"I don't think -"

Suddenly someone calls out to him, and he runs away to answer the calling before she can respond fully. Moving a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she grins to herself, making sure that she doesn't give up hope in her search. Lyrah moves on to find the next person, keeping an eye out for Hallix at the same time.

She stumbles across a coffee shop, where a young girl sits alone at an empty table, typing away on a device that Lyrah doesn't recognize. She walks towards her, passing another woman who sits alone, and the faint smell of bourbon hits her nose before she pokes the young girl's shoulder.

"Um, hi there!" She says awkwardly as the girl looks up at her. "By any chance have you seen a guy with brown-black hair, about this tall…" She uses her hand to place the description of him at several inches above her head, "...with red eyes and maybe a trench coat?"

The girl shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I don't think I have. Do you need help looking for him?"

"Nah, I'll be fine, but thanks anyways!" Lyrah moves on, deciding not to enlist the help of the young girl as she had gotten the impression that she was busy doing something else. And so, she continues her search, passing more people and not talking to any of them, instead focusing more on searching for him alone. She makes her way towards the hangar, walking past a blue haired girl with a purple mechanical arm, a red haired man with a strange black tattoo on one side of his face, and a dark skinned boy walking alongside a much fairer skinned, long haired blonde boy. Upon seeing their hands intertwined, Lyrah grins. Oh, I ship that. I ship it so hard.

Inside the hangar, she slows down to admire the Skells - parked or moving, they looked amazing, and she wishes for a moment that she could keep this form for a longer time, so she could acquire a Skell of her own. But she doesn't get herself distracted, instead, she walks quickly past an intimidating black haired man, who is talking to a girl with mismatched red and pink eyes. Ooh, I ship that too! She giggles to herself as she decides to proceed up a ramp and to a series of tents.

Lyrah doesn't notice that it's a dead end, and she turns to leave back down the ramp, but someone calls out to her. "Hey, you looking for something? Or are you lost?"

Lyrah spins back around and comes face to face with a tall, muscular man that stands much taller than her. She has to step back in order to avoid craning her neck too much, and she locks gazes with him. It seems that his gaze is hard, but Lyrah smiles softly as she sees beneath the first layer - deep within this man, there is kindness and compassion, and she knows from this that he could help her. So she asks him the same question and gives the same description to him.

"Can't say I've seen him around here," He responds with a shrug, "But I don't have any work today. I could help you out, if you want."

"No, that's fine," She replies quickly, "I can look elsewhere -"

"Sure you could. But two heads are always better than one," He insists, "C'mon then. We could even file a report to BLADE asking for more help if you need it."

As they walk down the ramp together, he says, "I'm Doug, by the way. I'm with the Harriers."

She had completely forgotten to introduce herself, so she answers with a hint of embarrassment. "Oh, I'm Lyrah! I, ah…" Oh shoot, they have divisions. I totally forgot about that! What do I tell him?! "...I'm a Mediator." She lets out a small breath of air as she complements herself for her quick thinking.

"Makes sense," Doug says, "You seem like the sort of person to help others."

"You can tell that just from a minute of conversation?" She laughs.

He nods, his face turning slightly red. "I mean...you seem real nice, that's all I meant."

"I'll take it you were complimenting me, then," Lyrah concludes in order to make sure he doesn't get more flustered. As they continue their descent, looking for Hallix, she notes all of the times that he says something awfully nice, or goes red.

By the end of the day, it totals fifty six.


	6. SY Pls

_The BLADE Concourse was surrounded by operatives as new missions popped up, seemingly by the second. Sy'Chell walked up to the board, his Casca blocking his expression. As he approached the board, other BLADEs moved out of his way, congregating into smaller groups to talk amongst themselves. With a sense sharpened through the loss of sight, he overheard them speaking his name. A snarl escaped his lips, but he let it slide. This was not the first time he had to deal with this, and he didn't intend to cause any trouble._

 _Sy began to search for new missions using the sensors in his Casca, passing up the chance to take on a Mediator mission, and instead trying to find a mission more suited to his talents. His surroundings became quiet as he focused on the mission and not on the whispers of the BLADEs standing behind him. A part of him wondered why they made fun of his - his setbacks. Surely they had to understand that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger? Sy intended to live up to the saying and show them just what he could do._

 _And he would do it alone._

 _He let himself become more aware of his surroundings and realized that there was someone standing directly next to him, staring up at the board in the hopes of claiming a mission. Sy glanced over at the boy, trying to read his expression. But most of his face was blocked by long, messy black hair that reached to about his shoulders. Sy turned back to the board, assuming that the boy wanted nothing to do with him._

 _But he was proven wrong._

 _The boy turned to face him, and Sy was met with a pupiless indigo gaze - initially he wondered if the boy was truly staring at him - and a curious smile. "Hi there...are you going to take a mission?"_

 _Sy didn't respond at first, but he growled something to himself under his breath, a hasty remark to himself about how he clearly was going to take a mission - why else would he be standing there?_

 _"...I see. Maybe we could do something together?"_

 _Sy blinked in confusion as the boy responded. He placed his hand on his hip, turning fully towards him. He decided to try something, though he guaranteed that it wouldn't work. He growled, "Can you understand me?"_

 _"Of course I can!" The boy chirped almost immediately, "Why? Is there something wrong with your voice?"_

 _He didn't understand. Sy took one step back, trying to comprehend how this boy, of all people, could understand his growls. He had come to accept that no one would ever be able to understand him, after he lost his voice in a fight against the Yggralith, but now...was there hope?_

 _He growled quietly. "I'm not speaking English."_

 _The boy became as confused as Sy was and tilted his head to show this. "You are speaking perfect English to me. Strange."_

 _Before Sy could reply, the boy offered out his hand to shake. "I am Pongo, by the way!"_

 _Sy hesitated for a moment before he firmly shook Pongo's hand. "I am Sy'Chell. Call me Sy."_

 _"A pleasure to meet you!" He smiled widely, and Sy was taken aback at how childish he sounded. "Now, would you like to take a mission together? My team went off without me and I am itching to get back out onto the field!"_

 _Sy held back a chuckle. "Alright. Have anything in mind?"_

 _Pongo scanned the board and pointed to a Harrier mission. "Looks like a tyrant has been causing trouble at the Divine Roost. Maybe we could try this one? I always love going to Noctilum, especially during the night! All of the lights…" He sighed as he began to daydream. Sy had to shove him gently to knock him out of his thoughts._

 _"...oh! Ah, sorry, got lost in my own little fantasy!" He admitted as he twiddled his thumbs together. "But how does that sound?"_

 _Sy nodded to indicate he'd be up for the challenge. He was willing to take down tyrants, any day. Pongo showed his enthusiasm by giving another wide smile. "Great! Come on then, there is no time to lose!"_

 _Pongo led the way out of the small crowd of BLADEs around the Concourse, and as Sy followed him, he started to hear his name amongst the words in the air. But he also began to hear Pongo's._

 _He wouldn't realize until later that, even though they seemed different, they were very much alike._

Months later, Sy'Chell looks back on this moment as a good memory, which is hard to come across. The barracks are quiet, but they will not remain this way for long: Sy waits for Pongo to return from his day of work so they can begin their weekly movie night, leaning back on the pale blue couch in front of the television set, which plays some strange episode with colorful buildings, a very expressive antagonist, and a blue suited guy who does way too many backflips and front flips. Seriously, way too many.

On the opposite end of the couch, Shun is curled up into a ball, headphones wrapped around his ears. Even from a distance, Sy can hear Shun's favorite song blasting through the ear pieces, a piece of loud rock music that he had identified as "Linkin Park". As the song reaches its chorus, Shun's eyes close, and Sy can tell that he is relaxed.

The doors swing open and Sy looks in the direction of the entrance, expecting Pongo to enter. And, sure enough, he walks inside, but he looks different, more dreary. Sy is about to say something, but Pongo rushes over and speaks before Sy can say anything.

"S-Sorry I am late, got held back for a few extra things…" He tells them, and Sy notices his usually peppy British voice is quieter.

Sy growls, "Don't worry, let's just get the movie started."

Pongo takes a seat and Shun finally notices that he has arrived. He slides his headphones off and places them on the table in front of them as Sy sets up the film for the night: a feature from Earth called "The Watchmen". The film begins, and in the first few minutes Shun is already chuckling as a murder takes place in the film.

But as the film progresses, Sy's attention drifts towards Pongo, who struggles to keep his eyes open. He yawns several times, and Sy wonders if Pongo is feeling okay. He decides that it's up to Pongo to decide if he is feeling alright, and turns back to watch the film.

Suddenly something hits Sy's shoulder. He is startled, but doesn't make any movements other than a turn of the head towards his left. Pongo's head now rests on his shoulder, his eyes closed and snoring softly. Sy freezes up; what should he do?! He doesn't want to disturb him, and he isn't a comfortable pillow. So Sy looks towards Shun, expecting help. But Shun is laughing again, because more people have died. Sy snarls under his breath and makes the decision to try and move Pongo onto a pillow.

But as he takes Pongo's arm, Pongo moves quickly around his chest, holding him in closer. Sy tenses up, unsure if Pongo realizes what he's doing, and this makes him want to remove Pongo even more. A small whisper, faint and barely audible, changes his mind.

"Please...stay…"

Sy closes his eyes, and doesn't try again to move him away. Shun eventually notices them, and from underneath his mask Sy can tell he's grinning. He growls something that sounds like a lewd remark.

In response, Shun flips him off.


	7. Sin

The night is young, the stars hanging in the sky like diamonds. New LA is mostly quiet, save for two spots: the Repenta Diner, on the edge of the Commercial and Industrial Districts, and the newly formed BunnyBod Cafe, located on the most northwestern part of the Commercial District. Both places are alive with light, but the Cafe easily has more visitors. It has been open for a shorter amount of time, and this newness attracts guests to its welcoming walls.

However, this is no ordinary cafe. Unlike the Repenta Diner, an old fashioned establishment similar to diners on Earth in the 1960s, the BunnyBod Cafe features comfortable decor that makes its guests feel at home. People are free to order as they wish, with options for take out and staying in. As the menu features mainly desserts, the nighttime is almost always busy.

And, of course, there are the bunnybods.

The waiters, the chefs, the entertainers - most of the employees all wear similar versions of the same uniform. Male or female, the outfit is, in simple terms, revealing. But the workers wear them with pride and aim to please their guests, putting on smiles to make sure that the customers are satisfied with their stay. This particular night attracts guests for a variety of reasons, the primary one being the entertainer. On the stage in the left hand corner of the establishment, the employees set up for his arrival, standing the microphone on its post while checking its sound in the amps connected to it. Other instruments are propped up behind it, with a drum set in the left corner and three different guitars on the right side. The piano is hidden in the back, but can be rolled out when needed - for now, the drum set claims its spot on the stage.

Workers rush around, carrying trays with food and beverages to the booths and tables. The smell of chocolate drifts in from the kitchen, which is busy with chefs trying to get food out to the workers on the other side. None of the actions die down as the ground shakes, a large thump emanating from outside. Seconds later, a man rushes in, holding his long coat over his chest as he makes his way to the stage. A headband with bunny ears sits atop his head, indicating that he works at the cafe. As he heads up the steps and onto the stage, he sees one of his colleagues setting up the final components for the amp. They exchange a friendly wave before getting into conversation.

"You've got a crowd today, Pongo. Have anything planned?"

Pongo nods, adjusting the coat around him. "Yeah. I found another Earth song I think everyone will enjoy."

"Ah, Earth songs are always a crowd pleaser," He wipes his brow, messing up some of his spiky white hair. Scarlen's variation of the uniform had once unnerved Pongo - no shirt, just a Speedo and tights connecting to his shoes. And it still gets him today; he hides his blush under a curtain of messy black hair.

"I still don't know how you managed to recover them," Scarlen tells him as he stands up, a few inches taller than Pongo. Without even realizing it, Pongo's gaze drifts downwards towards his sculpted abs. He's glad that he doesn't have pupils in this moment - Scarlen would surely notice him staring if he did.

"Lin helped me when we were looking through some of the old White Whale debris we found," Pongo explains, "She kept picking out songs she remembered. Turns out, her music taste is what could be classified as 'old-school'."

"How so?"

"She likes a bunch of bands from before her time. I want to say it was the 2000s."

"Fifty years before the White Whale left Earth…" Scarlen places a thoughtful hand to his chin. "Wow. I'm going to have to ask her about that sometime." Sighing, he swings his arms a bit. "Well, I'll let you get set up. Can't wait to hear what you've got in store!"

Pongo smiles, his confidence strengthening. "Thanks! I promise, everyone will enjoy it!"

Scarlen steps past him and goes down the steps. Someone calls out his name, and he walks towards a green haired man. An eyepatch covers one of his eyes, but he still manages to wear the bunny ears that are customary with the uniform for most of the employees. As they walk off - presumably to continue serving the guests - Pongo moves up to the microphone, testing its strength. It rings a little, but it's not ear-deafening. He grins to himself as he moves backstage to set up the station where the karaoke version of his song will play. As he was shown the code for the song by Lin, he inputs the numbers and letters carefully into the system. The machine makes a small ding, and words pop up on its blue screen.

"Adventure of a Lifetime - Coldplay is now playing!"

The music begins to play, but he knows that he doesn't have to go on for a moment, for the vocals don't enter for a little while. In the meantime, he enjoys the sound of the guests cheering, and a voice announcing overhead, "Ladies and gentleman, please welcome tonight's entertainer: Pongo Caldravix!"

That's his cue. Taking a deep breath, he throws off his trench coat, placing it next to the machine. Underneath, he wears the same skin tight bunny bod, tights, and shoes that most of the other workers have. As he steps out, the cheering grows louder, and he takes the microphone dramatically in his hands as he gets into the groove of the song. No one seems bothered that he doesn't sing the contractions; seeing as he can't, he makes do by forcing the two words together to get the desired effect.

When the song nears its end, he gets the crowd to follow along with the 'woohoos", which also earns a round of clapping to the drum beat. But as the final chords die down, Pongo is still exhilarated, taking in the feeling of being appreciated. Everyone applauds for his performance, and he even gets a standing ovation from some of the tables. It makes him feel...wanted.

Meanwhile, the waiters continue to bustle around, carrying trays of food and desserts to the tables. But in the midst of their work, one woman with silver-blue hair sits herself down at one of the tables, despite being one of the many workers at the cafe. The guests don't mind it, not at all. In fact, this is customary behavior for some of the more flirtatious employees - and this includes Genesis.

"How's everyone today?" She asks the person sitting next to her, who avoids her gaze as he blushes profusely. She notices this and scoots closer. "Aww, don't be shy! I don't bite - honest!"

As more customers line up, the bouncer - a beautiful young woman by the name of Soleil - takes down names and reservations in a shiny leather book. Unlike the others, her uniform is formal and tuxedo-styled to accurately display her professionalism. A large group walks in, around ten people in total, and Soleil converses with them briefly about reservations before she notices another large group pool out. Amazed at the convenient timing, she calls out, "Llyud! Got another big group here!"

A white haired man in a bunnybod looks over after placing some plates of cake on a couple's table and nods swiftly. "On it! Tell 'em five minutes and their table'll be ready!"

Soleil nods, and turns her attention back to the line, telling the large group that they'll be seated momentarily. However, another customer overhears this and shouts loud enough for everyone to hear, "Hey! I've been sitting here for thirty minutes! Why haven't I gotten seated yet?!"

She explains to the man calmly, "We would've sat you sooner, but with all of the people that came before you, we had to prioritize."

"And this big group gets seats before me? How the hell is that fair?!" The man complains.

Soleil's temper flares up, but she makes sure to uphold her calm demeanor. "Sir, if you don't settle down, I'm afraid we'll have to escort you out."

"You wouldn't turn down a paying customer, would you?" He yells, "This place is still new! You need all the money you can get!"

By now, Soleil has pressed a button on her comm device to summon reinforcements. She knows that this sort of behavior won't be tolerated here, and she makes sure that she calls Silva in to help. Moments later he is at her side, a look of concern on his face. "What's wrong?"

"See for yourself," She points to the man, who is now ranting to the crowd about his discontent for the cafe. He has even managed to get some of the waiting guests to leave through the front doors.

Silva nods in understanding. "Alright, I got this."

With power in his stance, he forces his way over the the shouting man, and with no effort he throws the man over his right shoulder. This prompts even more screaming from the man, which Silva ignores. He walks out the front doors and turns to walk a little farther down the Commercial District's darkened streets. Once he thinks they're far enough away, Silva throws the man onto the floor, after debating if he wanted to throw him into the dumpster a few feet away.

"Don't even think of coming back until you get your act together," He tells him sternly before heading back the way he came to get back to work.

Back inside the cafe, Llyud has cleaned the large table and begins to seat the group of ten people. As someone calls his name, he bites his lip, wondering if he should take their orders before answering whoever called him. He solves this dilemma as he watches Pongo come his way. Before he can walk further, Llyud asks, "Hey, you mind taking their orders?"

Pongo nods. "Alrighty."

Llyud runs off, realizing that it was Scarlen who had summoned him. Pongo whips out his little book of orders as well as a black ballpoint pen, then says in his sweetest voice, "Welcome to the Bunnybod Cafe! What can I get for you all on this fine evening?"

One of the members of the group smiles, and Pongo doesn't understand that he's trying to be seductive. "Hey, you're wearing a pretty nice outfit. Can I talk you out of it later?"

Pongo's eyes widen. "...Wha…"

"Travis, please," The guy next to him shoves him playfully, "He's got work. At least flirt with him after we've eaten."

Pongo stands there, completely dumbfounded and unable to speak. So as the rest of the group says what they would like to start off with, he merely scribbles the orders down. After everyone's ordered, he squeaks, "Thanks, everything will be here shortly," before he rushes off.

Once the orders come in, Pongo carries the serving tray over to the same table gracefully, making sure not to bump into anyone passing him. He places the food next to each of the ten guests, avoiding the gaze of the man who had flirted with him previously. But it seems that he hasn't forgotten about him.

"If I told you that you have a great body," He says, leaning in as Pongo places his hamburger in front of him, "Would you hold it against me?"

"Travis, come on," The guy next to Travis says with a sigh, but makes no move to stop him.

Pongo smiles shakily, and sidesteps away.

As the group finishes their meals, Pongo finds himself standing next to Scarlen, who is on his break. He notices that Pongo hasn't stopped staring at Travis, and he asks, "Hey, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"...he."

Scarlen is very confused by this, until Pongo manages to spit out an entire explanation. "He flirted…...with me…...why…."

"Heh, because you're cute, and you've got a stunning personality!" He responds.

Pongo slowly turns to stare up into Scarlen's gaze. "C-Cute?! WHAT."

"Yup, you heard me! Now, it looks like they're finished eating. You should get back; I don't want you to get in trouble for looking like you're slacking off."

Pongo nods quickly, takes a deep breath, and heads back to the table and asks if they're done. Receiving multiple "yes"s, he starts to pick up the empty plates. As he turns to Travis, he says, "My burger was great, but YOU are rare and well done at the same time."

The friend next to him laughs. "God, Travis."

Pongo giggles nervously. "Ah, t-thanks?...Um, here is the bill…."

"Oh, I've got a large tip for you," Travis tells him, "But you'd have to receive it in private."

That's the one.

Pongo's jaw drops and his blush spreads to his entire face. "Wh…"

And before he knows it, Travis is standing up, locking gazes with him. "Look, you're super cute, and I'd love to show you a good time. Is that too much to ask?"

"...Have…...boyfriend…."

"So what? He won't know unless you tell him, and you won't. So there's no problem."

Pongo doesn't realize that Silva is standing behind him until he hears his voice, dark and full of repressed anger. "I see multiple problems here, actually. Now I don't want to have to say this, but I'm going to ask you to please leave, as you're distracting Pongo from his work."

Some of the people in the group nod in agreement, but Travis keeps pressing. "And he's distracting me with his eyes. Can't I show my love for someone here?"

"That's not love you're feeling, it's lust," Silva growls, "There's a huge difference. Now, I won't ask you again."

The group stands up alongside Travis, who looks downcast at first glance. But as he looks back up, his eyes hold a playful hint to them. "Alright. Sorry."

He leads the group out, with credits on the table to pay for the bill. As Travis walks away Pongo feels something hit his posterior and he yelps in surprise. Travis leaves the building with a grin.

"You okay?" Silva asks Pongo, clearly concerned for him.

Pongo rubs the back of his neck, sighing. "I think so…"

"Sorry I didn't come sooner. God, I hate it when people think they can take advantage like that."

"...yeah." Pongo says quietly as he grows ashamed of himself.

Silva sighs. "Hey, looks like you need a break. Take a few minutes, I'll handle your tables in the meantime, okay?"

"No, I will be fine -"

"I insist." He interrupts. "Please, just take a break."

Feeling too weak to argue, Pongo nods. "Alright...thanks, Silva."

"Don't mention it," He says with a nod as Pongo walks towards the back, where Scarlen now sits.

And so the night continues. Shifts end and begin, new people come and go. But one thing is for certain:

The BunnyBod Cafe isn't closing anytime soon.


	8. The Dryad and The Wolves

The night is quiet in New LA, and it is quiet in nearly every continent that surrounds the city. The moons are full tonight, indicating that it won't be quiet for much longer - the wolves will howl, surely, and the creatures of the night will rise and go about their lives as they might during the day.

But there is a place outside the city, in the continent of Noctilum, where a presence becomes restless. He wanders near the Skybound Coil Tree, the flora he has come to protect, for it is his life force - if it were to die, so would he. With the recent activity of the humans, the tree has begun to shrivel up, leaving his power in a weakened state. He wishes for some way to correct their mistakes, to help them find peace, but he knows he is not strong enough, and perhaps he never will be.

The first howl pierces the air, stopping him in his tracks. If the wolves were to reach him...quietly he allows his body to merge with the tree, and he becomes one with its wooden textures as the first wolf enters the area. Its fur, a milky white, stands out from the forest colors of Noctilum, but as he watches, another creature, a maned wolf, makes itself known, its orange fur also not as camouflaged against the background. Both wolves had been running, but they stop near the tree, where he can watch them from the security of his tree.

The white wolf turns its gaze towards the tree, and he is met with an icy blue gaze. He is glad that he is concealed within the tree; here, he cannot be harmed, no matter what the wolves try and do. The maned wolf doesn't follow its companion and instead starts to roll on the ground, acting similar to a human dog. Its tongue flops out of its mouth as it continues to roll around, entertaining itself as the white wolf investigates the tree.

He begins to sense the creature's intent and finds that he is surrounded by a familiar aura, one of purity and good will. This wolf, whoever it is in human form, is a kind soul, he comes to realize, and as he looks to the maned wolf he comes to the same conclusion. And if he were to leave the tree and enter his other form, they would not hurt him.

So he steps out, his skin retaining some of the qualities of the bark it had touched. His head adorns large antlers, akin to an Earthen moose, and they also depict some of the swirls of the bark from the tree. He decides not to let his wings show, but on his shoulders and at his waist branches and twigs stick out; the ones around his waist form a sort of train around his legs, partially concealing his legs. His chest is bare and pale, and it creates a green ombre around the shoulder blades, where leaves fade into skin. Vines wrap around his arms and at his ankles, and they coil around one half of his face, around his pupiless indigo gaze. He gives a soft grin as he reaches a pale hand out to the white wolf, allowing it to extract his scent and identify him as a friendly being.

The white wolf does so, its large black nose pressing against his skin for a moment, transferring a cold, wet feeling that he didn't mind. The wolf steps back, its head tilting ever so slightly as its eyes stare into his. He realizes that the wolf may be able to recognize him - after all, they had met several times before. The wolf finally turns to its companion and silently sends it a message. The maned wolf stops rolling and makes itself stand tall, though it is not as large in size as the white wolf. It paces over to look at him; its response is quicker than the white wolf's. It forms an attempt at a smile, its teeth bared and the corners of its lips pointed upwards. The attempt makes him chuckle, and he decides that it would be safe to rub its head. It accepts the gesture and points its snout upwards, yet again transferring the cold, wet feeling to his skin.

The moment is short, as the white wolf barks at the maned one. The maned wolf nods and steps back as it runs off into the distance. The white wolf looks at him one last time before following suite. He watches them leave until they are out of his sight, then lets out a soft sigh as he turns to enter his tree again.

That night, their howls lull him to sleep like a lullaby. He is filled with warmth as he waits for the day to arrive, when he would be able to talk to Scarlen and Soleil about the encounter.


	9. The Dryad and The Spirit

Another quiet night in Noctilum had him leaning against his tree, watching the stars above him fade in and out. It amazes him how it could take years for a star to appear to wink out of existence, despite it dying millions of years before. He wonders how many of the stars are dead that he looks upon now, and how many of them will remain bright in the night sky despite being dead.

As he is a being of life and purity, it would seem odd that he ponders the possibilities of death. In this world, many have passed on, and yet they walk the planet in different forms, very much alive. He finds it fascinating, all the possibilities that this world has to offer, and he wishes to one day explore them. But for now, as the planet's protector and messenger, he is confined to his tree for the night. His strength had been used in the morning hours, and in the night he wanders the continent, keeping a careful eye out for any of the humans - in whatever form they take.

He decides to walk down to the shoreline, where a setting moon reflects upon the water like a mirror. He steps close enough so that his feet touch where the water calmly laps the shore, and some droplets splash onto his boots. He does not mind; rather, he accepts the water, a source of sustenance for both him and his tree, which is too far away from the ocean and only feeds off of the moisture in the continent's rich soil. He realizes that salt water isn't the best source to use, but he has learned that he is able to remove the salt from the water to purify it, making it a great place for nourishment.

He turns away, sensing something new in the environment that he hadn't noticed before. He hears the howls of the wolves, but they are distant and fading, so he cancels out the possibility of seeing Scarlen and Soleil again. But his pupiless gaze catches sight of something far more intriguing. He turns to his right, near one of the more colorful flora, and notices a large stone sticking out of the ground. As he approaches it, he is careful not to disturb the Ovis that munch the grass around it, and as one lifts its head, he speaks its language, tells it not to worry. The Ovis bends down again to eat.

Upon closer inspection, he sees that the stone has been inscribed. The words are roughly carved out, but freshly engraved.

"Mr. Stake"

20XX - 2054

A Friend to All.

The name seems oddly familiar, and yet as he kneels down and traces the letters with his wooden fingers, he cannot place a face to the name. He frowns as he wonders what had happened to this "Mr. Stake", what fate he had received to end his life. He decides to pay his respects, and he stretches his arm out towards the grave. The vines on his arm begin to grow towards his palm, and within seconds they form a perfect flower, its white petals a symbol of purity. He plucks the flower off of his hand as the vines recoil, and he places it next to the grave with a gentle smile.

Thinking his work done, he stands, turning away to head back to his tree. But he pauses as he hears the grave shift behind him, and he spins around in surprise as something begins to climb out of it, having no trouble removing the dirt covering it. Frightened, he hides behind a nearby tree, peeking out to watch the event from afar. As the figure climbs out of the ground, he notices that a black hood covers his expression, and his entire body dons a black robe. His feet never touch the ground, indicating to him that this figure was a spirit of some kind - good or evil, he could not tell.

The spirit stretches his arms out, yawning loudly. "Man, that was a nice nap. Slept like a log." He looks down at his grave and notices the flower. "Huh. Wonder who left this here." He picks it up, and suddenly the dryad feels its life force grow cold as light is touched by darkness. He shivers audibly, causing the spirit's head to turn towards him. The dryad conceals himself behind the tree, but the spirit still looks in his direction.

"Whoever you are, come out!" The spirit yells.

But the dryad is only more frightened, and he remains behind the tree, closing his eyes and praying to invisible gods. The spirit walks towards the tree, intent on finding out who it was that was watching him, but as he looks closer at the tree he realizes that, whoever it is, their giant antlers are giving them away.

"...I can see you back there," The spirit growls.

The dryad remains frozen in place, thinking that, if he remained still, the spirit could mistake his massive antlers for branches on the tree. But something inside him, something that had been quiet before, now stirs inside of him. He opens his eyes again and clenches his fists as he forces himself to step out into the spirit's view.

Was this a mistake?

The dryad doesn't blink, for he is entranced by the spirit's face, now visible despite being hooded. One eye yellow, the other pale gray, is what the dryad stares into. For a moment he follows the crack along the left side of his face, creating the illusion that his skin was made of porcelain. Underneath the hood he catches a few tufts of short red hair, ruffled by the fabric handing over his head. His skin, pale white, is close to being transparent, and even though he dons a shawl over his shoulders and cloth falling past his waist, his chest is bare.

The silence is terrifying. The dryad steps back, unsure of what to do, unsure of what to say. But one step back prompts a step forward from the spirit, whose dark expression seems to soften for a split second before he asks, "What are you doing here? And did you put this here?" He holds out the flower that the dryad had created, its petals shining like starlight.

The dryad clears his throat; any answer he gave could anger the spirit, and he is terrified out of his wits. But he makes his voice sound calm as he responds, "I did. I was only passing through and saw your grave, and I thought...I thought I should pay my respects."

"Heh. You didn't know I was a spirit?" He chuckles, his grip tightening around the flower, which makes the dryad cringe. "And don't you know better than to disturb a grave?"

"..." The dryad looks like he's on the verge of tears, his fear getting the best of him. "...I…" His voice wavers.

The spirit senses this, and he takes another step forward, preparing to teach the dryad a lesson. But something within the dryad's gaze stops him, a light deep inside that he knew he had, once before. The spirit sighs, dropping his gaze.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you. But you should've known better."

The dryad blinks once, his hand instinctively pressing the side of the tree to try and stabilize his wobbly knees. He clears his throat again, and asks, "You...you will not hurt me?"

There's something in the way he says this that tugs at the spirit's heart strings, but he doesn't let it show. "No, I won't. Just...don't do it again."

The dryad nods slowly. "Okay…"

To ease this tension, the spirit tries his best to grin at the dryad.

"I'm Stake. Mr. Stake."

The dryad's eyes widen a bit at this gesture, but in his innocence he smiles back widely.

"I am Pongo."

The spirit chuckles. "You're a strange creature, huh?"

Turning away, he decides that, instead of returning to his grave, he wants to explore the area around him. As he walks away on feet that don't touch the ground, the dryad feels compelled to say, "D-Do you, ah...do you want to…"

"Want to what?" The spirit snaps, not turning around to face the dryad.

The dryad sighs. "It is not safe around here at night. Let me go with you."

Another action that makes the spirit feel warm inside, though he keeps his facade up as he responds quickly, "I can handle myself."

"Are you sure?"

"You doubt my power?" He snarls.

The dryad tenses up again, and the spirit rolls his eyes, beginning to feel bad for acting so aggressive towards him. "...Fine. Keep up."

The dryad grins as he joins the spirit by his side, and together the two set out to wander the continent before the sun rises. The dryad makes a note that the spirit never let go of the flower.


	10. The Dryad's Flower

In a world where being different is normal, one could hardly say that opposites could attract, for everyone is different in their own similar way. And how could there be opposites, when every life form, regardless of race, possesses the same basic qualities? And if there was an opposites-attract scenario, then surely one of the pair could not love the other? That is the point of being opposite, no?

And yet, Stake finds his thoughts consumed by one constant factor, a person totally opposite from him. The dryad, Pongo. A being of pure light, a bringer of life, connected to the life forms around him. Stake, on the other hand, represented darkness, death, despair. An embodiment of evil, Stake knows that he is destined for a life alone. But when Pongo became a part of his existence…

The spirit sighs, irritated by the confusion of this situation, a situation he got himself in to. He sits upon his gravestone, his feet floating above the ground, almost transparent. His hands grasp the flower that had intertwined his fate with Pongo, and he touches its delicate white petals with a scowl. Why did he want to mourn for me? Why would anyone want to mourn for me? He thinks to himself as a strong breeze rustles the leaves around him. He is immune to the winds; he doesn't exist, after all.

He looks up at the moon, still full even after the passage of many days. It is apparent that Mira's largest moon works differently than Earth's, and because of its prolonged fullness, the werewolves of New LA will be on the prowl, yet again. Not like he cares, though - even if they attacked him, they couldn't possibly hurt a ghost. So he enjoys the silence for the time being, until the howls pierce the night sky.

These howls sound different to Stake, however. They are aggressive, and they are loud, indicating that the wolves are near. He decides to stand up, keeping an eye out for the pack that was inevitably heading his way. Seconds later, he sees something run past the bushes in the distance, though it is no wolf. The pack makes itself known as the wolves - he counts seven - run after their prey. Stake wonders what it is that they're chasing that looked so human in form, and so he makes the decision to follow after them, floating behind the pack as they run past his grave and into the night.

After a few minutes of following them Stake pauses, concealing himself in the dense undergrowth. The wolves are scratching at the base of a large tree, trying to climb to their prey, which had found shelter in the tree's highest branches. For the first time, Stake can identify the wolves' target, and it is none other than the dryad that had left the flower at his grave a few nights before. From the distance, Stake can tell that he is afraid, and then he notices that the tree is covered in some sort of blue-green liquid that also lines the mouth of some of the wolves.

Blood.

His blood.

In the heat of the moment, under some unknown influence, Stake runs out of his hiding place and takes the first wolf he spots by the tail, throwing it out of the way. As he does the same to a second wolf, the pack turns to face him, and their leader, a black furred beast covered in scars, issues the command to the pack to attack Stake. But as they leap towards him, they don't understand that they will only leap through him, and he laughs at their confusion as they stand back up after having fallen on their faces. Able to manipulate his form, Stake creates giant spikes out of his hands, and as the next wolf lunges at him he sticks his newly formed weapons through the wolf's mid section. Blood splatters the ground as the carcass slides off of his weapon, and as he turns to face the others, he is momentarily disappointed as he watches them run away, tails between their legs.

"You cowards," He spits on the ground, his weapons shrinking back down to form hands again. He turns towards the tree, looking up at Pongo, who has curled up into a ball with his head pressed against his knees to the best of his abilities - massive antlers sure are a nuisance.

"Hey. You." Stake calls up. "They're gone now. You okay?"

Upon recognizing Stake's voice, Pongo lifts his head, and Stake notices that his cheeks are damp with tears. "Stake! Ah, y-yes, I will be alright…"

"You're bleeding." Stake comments bluntly.

"Yeah, but nothing I cannot fix." The dryad reassures him, wiping his eyes before jumping down to greet the spirit. He bears a feature that hadn't been present in their last encounter; on Pongo's back, giant ombre leaves sprout from the branches on his back, forming wings that extend to near his kneecaps. Stake wonders why they hadn't been present before, and if he had used them to fly up the tree, rather than climb. Now, as they stand close to each other, Stake makes note of all the scratches covering his body - in particular, the deep wounds running from his left shoulder down to his elbow. Fresh blood drips down it, staining the vines around his arm.

"...That one looks bad," Stake points to the wound.

Pongo gazes down at it and shrugs. "I will be okay!"

"You sure?"

"Yup!" The dryad smiles. But as he looks back down at his wound, Stake can't help but consider the injury more serious than the dryad realizes. He floats forward, but suddenly Pongo's head picks up as two wolves come into the clearing. Alarmed, they both face them, and Stake prepares to attack again. But these wolves look different, and Pongo immediately releases the tension from his shoulders as he walks past Stake. "Scarlen! Soleil! Good to see you!"

The first wolf, a massive creature with pale white fur and glowing blue irises, runs up to Pongo and leaps on him, and Stake clenches his teeth, expecting to have to rush in to save the dryad. But as they both fall to the ground, Pongo laughs, and the wolf begins to lick his face.

"Ah, hey! That tickles! Scarlen!" He says in between giggles.

The white wolf allows Pongo to sit up, and the other creature - a maned wolf, with orange-brown fur - steps towards the dryad, noticing the same wound that Stake had pointed out seconds before. The maned wolf whines as it begins to lick the one on his shoulder, and Pongo winces softly.

"Soleil, I am fine, it is only a scratch...see, watch."

He gestures to the wolves that they should step back, and as they do, he moves his right hand over the wound on his shoulder. As they had done with the flower for Stake's grave, the vines move around the injury and slowly begin to patch the broken skin. Once they move back, his wound has disappeared, with only the dried blood around it to suggest that he was even injured.

"Look! All better!" Pongo tells them.

The wolves both begin to pant, their tongues sticking out as they head to lick Pongo again. None of them acknowledge Stake's presence, and something stirs within him that he hasn't felt before. Not anger, not frustration...jealousy? No, it couldn't be. What was there to be jealous of?

And yet as he continues to quietly watch Pongo enjoy his time with the two wolves, this emotion builds up until it causes Stake to finally make himself known again. "Hey. Who are they, and how do you know you can trust them?"

Pongo turns to Stake, his eyes wide. "Oh, this is Scarlen, and this is Soleil!" He gestures to the white wolf and the maned wolf, respectively. "They are my friends from the city. They started coming to Noctilum to hunt, and sometimes we run into each other!"

"Didn't answer the last part of my question. How can you trust them?" Stake snarls.

Pongo's expression falls for a moment, and the wolves step back, allowing Pongo to take a breath before he responds, "Friends trust each other, and they are my friends. I do not think there is anything hard to understand about that."

Stake frowns. "Hate to break it to you, but what about what happened with that Lao guy I keep hearing about? Everyone was his friend before he went and betrayed the city."

Both of the wolves turn their heads downwards, as if they are upset to hear this. Pongo, too, looks downcast. "Well...he was different."

"How?"

"He just...was."

"That's not good enough."

And once again, the dryad looks close to tears. "...I…"

The wolves turn to Stake, and he hears the maned one begin to growl. Unafraid, he continues his conversation with Pongo, but tries to reason with him. "If you trust someone and they hurt you, it's the worst feeling in the world. Just make sure you know they won't stab you in the back later on."

"...Okay!" Clearly, his childish mind doesn't grasp the concept fully, but Stake lets it go. There's something oddly charming about the innocence in his words that gets Stake to feel...human?

The wolves back off, sensing that the situation has been resolved. The white wolf looks up and notices that the sky is beginning to turn lighter, so he barks to the maned wolf. Together they exchange one last look with Pongo before running off towards the direction of the city. Pongo waves them goodbye. "See you soon, you guys!"

Stake realizes that he should also be returning to his grave - even though he could technically stay around during the daylight hours, he's not in the mood to follow Pongo to the city. He turns to leave, but not before Pongo calls out to him.

"Hey, ah, Stake…"

"What."

"...Why did you keep the flower?"

The flower. The flower that's now safely tucked away in his pocket. How could he have seen it? Stake sighs, and gives him half of the truth. "Why waste it? It's pretty."

"Really? Ah, thank you!" He smiles widely again, his perfect white teeth hiding small fangs on each side.

Stake does not tell him the other half of the truth, the hardest one to come to terms with.

The flower reminds him of a life he once lived, and a life he could live again...by Pongo's side.


	11. The Hybrid

"Tag! You're it!"

The two children, Erza and Weiss, chase each other around Deliverance Park, laughing as they continue to play their game. They are the children of Schwarzer and Elma, but today, they are busy with their BLADE duties, and they had called for a temporary caretaker to watch them while they were away. Thus, Pongo had found himself caring for the kids, and he watches them run around with his back up against a tree. He resists the urge to run alongside them in their little game; it's strange how he still has these childish desires, but when you were technically born only a few years ago, your mind can take a long time to adjust.

As he watches Erza tag Weiss, Pongo finds himself thinking about how more BLADEs were beginning to have children of their own, defying any sort of rules that mimeosomes may have possessed. Sighing, he gets the impossible thought of one day having a kid of his own - but how could he? There were too many issues surrounding that possibility, and when would he find the time to care for a kid? It had been pure luck that he'd been given Erza and Weiss to care for, and he hadn't been a first option. Schwarzer had explained that Silva, their first choice, was also busy with missions, and they couldn't find anyone else without a ton of work to step aside and tend to their kids. Pongo had overheard, and decided to offer up his help after summoning all of his courage to talk to the infamous red-haired BLADE. To his surprise, Schwarzer had accepted his offer of aid.

Weiss trips on a loose stone in the path, and Pongo's immediately at her side, holding her knee, which is only bruised. "Are you alright?" He asks, looking into her gaze.

Weiss nods. "I'm fine!"

She gets up and keeps running before Pongo can fetch any sort of bandage for the wound. Erza giggles as he runs away from her, and she yells, "I'm gonna get you!" Pongo grins to himself, wishing more than ever that he could have a kid of his own. What a day that would be, if he had a child to care for. The kid would get so many hugs and kisses and Pongo would read them bedtime stories each night and maybe teach them how to fight with wooden sticks -

Pongo.

Suddenly a searing pain hits his brain and he gasps, rubbing the crease between his eyebrows. "Mira?..."

I have made a mistake.

Pongo frowns. "What do you mean?"

Due to the removal of some of your stupid probes recently, I was gifted with an abundance of power. But it seems as though this amount of power could not be contained.

"I do not understand."

It has been a very long time since I was able to use my full power, and...well, I became excited. And now, I need you to go to the continent you call Primordia. And hurry.

He shakes his head. "Mira, I am babysitting. Can this wait until they get back to their parents?"

...You obey humans over the force that created you? Mira's voice is disgruntled. Just find a way.

Pongo opens his mouth, but then Mira speaks one word that he almost never hears from it.

Please.

This one word informs Pongo that this is serious, and he glances over at the kids, who aren't aware of what happened. He takes a quick look around to see if there's anyone nearby that Schwarzer would trust with his children, but sadly, the park is almost empty. So Pongo makes a hasty decision, one that he is anxious about explaining to Schwarzer when he returned.

"Erza! Weiss!" He calls their names, and they stop in their tracks, facing him with wide eyes. "Come here, please."

They walk over, giving each other a confused expression as they listen to what Pongo has to tell them. "Have your parents ever taken you out of the city?"

"Nope, but Uncle Silva has!" Erza tells him, "It's very pretty!"

Pongo can't help but chuckle. "Alright, then. Do you want to come with me on a little adventure?"

They both nod excitedly. "Yes!"

"Perfect, but I need you to promise me something first. You will both have to stay in my Skell while I go and do something. It is very dangerous out there and I would hate to see you get hurt."

"Aww," Erza whines, "But what if an indigen attacks us? I wanna fight!"

"No fighting!" Weiss tells him, "Momma said fighting's bad!"

"Weiss is right," Pongo concurs, leaning towards Erza, "Even now, I hate fighting indigens while out on the field. So please, promise me that you will stay inside my Skell while I investigate this."

Weiss nods immediately. "I promise!"

Slower to respond, Erza gives his promise following his younger sister. Pongo smiles and stands up. "Alright, then. This way!"

His newly designed Skell, a Lailah Queen model he named Eros, is parked in vehicle mode in the church's parking lot. It's a short walk there, and the entire way Pongo allows Weiss to take his hand and swing his arm as they walked. Erza giggled at this, but didn't do the same. His eyes widen as he takes in the sight of Pongo's dark red Skell, a wide grin forming on his small face.

"Your Skell looks amazing!" He cries, looking up at Pongo, "I can't wait until I get my own Skell!"

Pongo laughs. "Yup, Skells are amazing, indeed. Now, I am going to start it up, and then I will hoist both of you up into the cockpit. There should be enough room for you in there."

Weiss bounces up and down excitedly as Pongo leaves her side, climbing into the cockpit to start the engines. The machine whirs to life, its lights pulsating a vibrant indigo color, which almost matches perfectly to Pongo's pupiless irises. As he climbs back out, he leaves the cockpit open and gestures to Erza to come closer. Without any hesitation the little boy runs over, and Pongo grabs him around the waist, allowing him to use his shoulders to push himself up into the cockpit. Once Erza is inside, Pongo lifts Weiss up by her waist, as she is much lighter than Erza, and she giggles as she enters the Skell. Pongo jumps in, sitting in the front seat and clutching the controls of the Skell with both of his hands. He doesn't expect Weiss to come up and sit on his lap, but he makes no effort to move her off - in fact, it feels nice.

The Skell jumps into the air, and Pongo directs the massive machine towards Primordia, though Mira had never told him where in Primordia to go. As he thinks this, Mira enters his mind again, and he senses that his question will soon be answered.

You brought the kids? Mira growls, you really are hopeless.

"What else was I supposed to do?!" Pongo cries, ignoring that he is talking to himself in front of the kids, "You gave me very little time to prepare, and I have to keep my promise to Schwarzer!"

And now you are putting his kids in danger. What a wonderful babysitter.

"Agh, shut up!"

"Are you okay?" Weiss asks softly, resting her head back on his chest so she could look up into his eyes.

Pongo sighs. "Yeah, just...talking to myself?"

"Didn't sound like it," Erza says playfully as he positions himself behind Pongo's seat, "Aren't you too old to have imaginary friends?"

"That is a story for another day," Pongo ends the conversation before they can ask about anything involving Mira.

In his mind, Mira lets out a sigh. Now, then. Head to the Raviiaquis, near your...purification plant.

Pongo recognizes Mira's name for the Biahno Lake, and turns his Skell west without saying anything else. As he gets higher up, he grins upon hearing Weiss's gasps of wonder, and she tries to make shapes out of the clouds they pass, pointing to her favorite ones.

"That one looks like Mommy!"

Pongo finds the one she's pointing to. "Oh wow, it does! Nice find, Weiss! That one is very pretty, indeed!"

"She's not as pretty as a cloud," She comments.

This prompts a sad smile that isn't observed by either Erza or Weiss as he recalls the days he loved her. "Yeah...your mother really is beautiful…"

But apparently, his attempts at hiding his feelings are reflected through the Skell's window, and Erza sees it, prompting a gasp. "Do you like Mommy?"

The Skell shakes a bit as Pongo yelps, startled that this nine year old boy has read his facial expression so well. "Ah, n-not anymore. But I did."

"Of course you liked Momma! Everyone likes Momma!" Weiss backs him up, oblivious to what Erza was referring to.

"That's not-"

"OH WOW LOOK AT THAT WE ARE HERE," Pongo says loudly before Erza can tell his sister about what they were talking about.

The Skell touches the ground softly several yards away from the purification plant, right near the water's edge. Powering down the Skell, Pongo waits for Weiss to stand up and move away before he turns to the both of them. "Now, you both remember your promise, okay? Please stay here."

They both nod, and Pongo climbs out of his Skell, his feet touching down on the cool grass that were a defining feature of the continent. A deep inhale sends fresh air through his artificial lungs, and he takes a moment to admire the view - though the one millesaur in the distance is walking towards where he parked the Skell. Unmoving, Pongo watches as it changes course, and once he deems it far enough away he begins to look around for anything out of place.

"Why would Mira act so worried?" He thinks out loud, stepping along the edge of the water as he spots a group of terebras huddled over something overhead. Scowling, Pongo decides to investigate this first, and as he nears the group he prepares to whip out his guns, in case the terebras were hostile. Now a few feet away, he stops as one of the terebras whirls its head around, its ears twitching as its beady eyes locked onto his form. It whines, and the other terebras scatter like leaves in the autumn wind. Pongo feels his shoulders relax, but tense up again as he notices the thing that the terebras had found interest in. As he gets closer, he realizes that the thing isn't an "it" - it's a "he".

The boy is curled into a tight ball, facing away from Pongo. Naturally blue hair falls from his scalp, long and messy, and his skin is tinted the same bluefish color, making the boy appear sickly. Even from this distance he can tell that the boy is skinny, surely too skinny, and he wears a strange armor that Pongo can't place to any of the arms manufacturers. His most defining feature, however, are the large ears that protrude from his head, and the tail that curls around his waist. Pongo recognizes these as features of a terebra - perhaps this is what the group had been interested in, before they had run away.

But Pongo knows this can't be natural, no mims can possess such features, which raises the question:

What is this boy?

Pongo steps closer to him, pity rising up in his chest and causing his cheeks to go red. "Um, hello there…"

The boy's head picks up and he spins out of his position, facing Pongo with a bright yellow stare. His eyes are wide, and hold a mixture of fear and confusion, which causes Pongo to stay absolutely still. If he has learned anything from his adventures, he knows that people or indigens who are scared tend to do the most unimaginable things.

"I will not hurt you, I promise," Pongo says softly.

The boy, on all fours, backs up slowly even though Pongo hasn't moved. His gaze shifts to the guns on Pongo's back. Pongo realizes that this poor boy must be scared of them, so he makes a drastic decision and slides them off of his back. Turning towards the lake, he chucks them into the water, much to the pleasure of the boy. He makes a small noise similar to a purr, but his now human throat conceives it as a hum instead.

Turning back to him, Pongo tries to reach out. "My name is Pongo." He gestures to himself. "Care to tell me yours?"

After the words leave his mouth, he notices that these are the same words Elma had spoken to him on the day she found him in the lifepod. After all this time...how could I still feel this way?

The boy tilts his head drastically to the right, exhibiting a behavior of some terebras. "Rrrrr?"

Pongo tries again, shaking away his feelings and focusing on the task at hand. He gestures to himself again, this time with more strength. "I am Pongo." He points to the boy, who backs up a little. "What is your name?"

The boy is silent for a while, unblinking and unmoving. Then, he tries to speak, but it sounds nothing like English and more like the noises of a terebra. "Owl….flee! Owl flee! Owl flee!"

"...Alfie?" Pongo guesses, and once the boy gives him a fanged grin he smiles back. "Alfie!"

"Owl flee!" The boy responds, inching closer and closer to Pongo. As he nears him, Alfie tries to stand on his two small legs, and Pongo discovers that the part of his body he had mistaken for armor was actually a mixture of scaled and fluffy underbelly. His four fingered hands form claws, but are ultimately more human in appearance than not. Pongo kneels down as Alfie stops in front of him, and he offers out his hand, which Alfie takes in his own. Pongo feels the warmth of Alfie's skin and fur, feels the light hitting the back of his neck and sending shivers down his spine, feels the innocent gaze of Alfie's slanted pupils staring into his own….

What am I feeling?

"Pongo! Pongo, who's that?"

Pongo stands up suddenly and whirls around as he watches Erza and Weiss run towards him. "What did I tell you?! You promised to stay in the Skell!"

He expects them to scare Alfie off, but as the children grow closer, Alfie clings to Pongo's leg, but makes no move to run away. In fact, the opposite proves to be true: as Weiss approaches him, he grins, and she giggles as she starts to talk to him, all while Pongo has a crisis and panics over what will happen if they get attacked - he threw his weapons in the lake, WHY.

"Aww, you're so cute! I'm Weiss!"

"...way his!" Alfie repeats, which makes Weiss smile brightly. "Way his…" He gestures to himself the same way that Pongo had gestured to him, "...owl flee!"

"Alfie! That's a cute name!" Weiss comments, "Hey, do you wanna play tag?"

He frowns, and she gasps. "You don't know what tag is? I'll show you! It's fun!"

Erza makes his way over and overhears the conversation, so as Weiss explains he nods along with her statements. "So someone is 'it' and they have to chase the other people and tag them, like this!" She struggles a bit to reach up high enough to tap Erza's shoulder. "And then that person is it! And it keeps going and going and it's lots of fun!"

Erza smiles evilly and pats Weiss's head. "Tag, you're it!" He yells as he runs away. Weiss laughs and chases after him, leaving Alfie to debate joining them or not. He looks up at Pongo, who is still having a terrible breakdown and holds his head in his hands.

"...tag?" Alfie says quietly.

Pongo's heart goes doki doki and he tries to block out the beating of his kokoro as he grins at the child. "Go ahead!"

Alfie lets go of his leg and chases after them, letting out a combination of laughs and barks as he joins in the game. Pongo sighs, letting go of his fears as he discovers that they're having fun. This would be easy to explain to Schwarzer: just a day out in Primordia, having fun.

But one question hadn't been answered, and as he follows the direction the kids run, he says, "How did this happen?"

Mira answers quickly. I cannot say for sure that I understand the predicament myself. But this is certainly something that I am willing to adapt to.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Obviously this boy cares for you. It would be wrong to leave him here to fend for himself. He is more human than not, and he should be with the humans and learn their ways - as pathetic as I still find their customs.

Pongo frowns. "So what are you getting at?"

You idiot. Mira groans. I am trying to tell you that he is now your responsibility.

"How is that fair?!" He hisses, "You did this! Is there any way to fix it? He probably had a perfectly fine life with his family before you screwed it up!"

I bet I could find some way to counter this, but for now...you wanted a child, no? You should be happy. I gave you something you never thought you would have.

Pongo shakes his head. "I never meant it like this…"

So you would leave this child to fend for himself?

"I never said that." He sighs, pushing his fingers through his long black hair. "I will take care of him. Heck, I want him to be happy...but I cannot guarantee that he will be happy with the humans."

Then at least go and find out.

With that, Mira goes quiet. As he returns his attention to the kids, he watches how much fun they're having, how well Alfie is getting along with them despite his difference, and Pongo thinks to himself, he needs someone to care for him. And he...he would do it. No more questions asked. Pongo would be the best caretaker, ever, because Alfie deserves nothing less.

Suddenly his comm device buzzes in his back pocket. Pongo slips it out and answers the call, immediately feeling at the sound of Schwarzer's voice.

"Pongo?! Where are you?!"

...This would be a strange one to explain.


	12. The Lights

The cavern is dark, save for the light of the glowing crystals that shine a royal purple. It reflects off of the water that had collected at one end of the cave, brightening the room significantly. It could be considered unnatural how the water never ripples, how it remains calm despite the draft that makes it way into the cavern on windy days. Jagged spires jut out from the cavern's walls and hang form its high ceiling, and embedded within them are crystals of a similar nature to those that stand on their own, except they reflect blues and greens on the water's surface. On the opposite end of the cavern, the entrance is wide open, and yet only one person has ever discovered its secrets. That same person comes up to the entrance now, stepping inside as the rarely occurring breeze pushes his long black hair out of his gaze. His eyes are pupiless, indigo, and are wide with a childish innocence that is uncommon amongst his age group.

"Come on, Stake!" He says softly to his companion, who has not yet emerged from the cavern's entrance. As he proceeds further inside, the companion makes himself known. Donning a mask and goggles, his expression cannot be seen, but it is clear that he is in awe as he gazes at the crystals around him. He reaches tentatively for one of the ones that stands near him, and his hand strokes the smooth crystal for a moment before turning to the other man.

"Pongo...how did you find this place?"

Pongo averts his gaze to Stake and gives him a small grin. "Mira told me about it a few weeks ago. I figured this place was too good to keep a secret."

Stake nods, looking up at the stalactites that almost threatened to drop on him. He knows that the possibility of them falling is slim, and yet he feels his hands squeeze into fists at his sides before releasing. "You're right, this place is pretty coolio."

That gets Pongo to chuckle. "Coolio. Funny word."

As they head further in, towards the small body of water at its other end, Stake listens to the pat of his shoes as they tread along the cavern's floor. All of their movements, no matter how tiny, echo off the walls. To test how strong the echo is, Stake finds himself saying, "ECHO!" - it's loud, and it rings a few times before it fades away. Pongo shakes his head, but keeps walking.

"If you thought that was cool, wait until I show you this."

Stake's interest peaks as they near the water's edge. As he looks down at where the water meets the land, he follows it out to where it ends on the other side and notices that it looks extremely deep, despite it looking shallow at first glance. He looks to Pongo, who stands beside him, within arm's reach. Something compels Stake to try and take Pongo's hand in his, but he steps away too quickly. "I only just figured this out, and...well, I think this will come as a bit of a surprise for you."

Pongo takes a step towards the water, and Stake tenses up; they were already touching the water's edge, did he intend to swim? But as he watches Pongo take more steps outward, he notices that they touch the water like how they would touch land; the water is still as he places his heel down first, followed by his toes. In shock, Stake removes his goggles, his mismatched eyes staring at Pongo like he's seeing a ghost.

"How can you do that?"

"Remember how I told you that I am, well, made of miranium?" Pongo explains as he makes his way near the center of the pool, "There is a component in miranium that chemically reacts with the material in this water. It solidifies when it comes into contact with anything made of miranium, so...I can walk on water, like that old Earth prophet Hope told me about - Jaysos?"

"Jesus, Pongo."

"What?"

"No, like - never mind."

Slightly confused, Pongo heads back towards Stake and takes his hand within his. "Stay still." He warns.

The air around them grows colder as Stake watches Pongo focus on their intertwined hands. A blue light emanates from Pongo's fingers and separates into smaller balls of energy, and they slowly make their way onto Stake's hand, flowing from his hand to his arm and down his body until they lingered near his shoes. The entire time, Stake keeps his gaze on Pongo's head.

"What did you do?"

"I will show you! Come on!"

Without any warning Pongo drags Stake out to the water, and Stake yelps as he is pulled along. But he doesn't sink; instead, he now walks upon the surface of the water just as Pongo can. The blue lights whirling around his shoes brightens with every step he takes, but he doesn't pay it any mind. He doesn't try to understand it, either - for now, he laughs as Pongo takes him to the center of the pool, allowing himself to enjoy the moments they were sharing together.

Once they stop at the center, Pongo point up to the stalactites above them, which have some crystals embedded in them. "Now, watch this!" He says excitedly.

With a smile, he closes his eyes tight, and once they open they flash white before he lets his lips part. A blue wisp escapes his mouth and floats upwards, hitting the crystals. All at once, they shift from blue to purple, from red to orange, in a light show of rainbow color.

"Beautiful, right?" Pongo says quietly, staring up at the colors that shift around them.

But Stake isn't staring at the spectacle. No, to him there's something more astounding in the cavern, and that is Pongo. Pongo's eyes are wide, focused on watching the glow of the crystals, and Stake can see the colors reflected in his pupiless eyes, and he cannot help but smile. How could this man be so full of light, despite what he'd been through? How was Stake worthy of his love?

"Pongo…" Stake whispers.

He faces him, his smile melting Stake's heart with every second he looked at him. "Yes?"

"...Thank you."

As he does when he's confused, Pongo tilts his head slightly to the right, but his smile doesn't waver. "You are very welcome! I am so glad you like it here!"

This isn't what Stake meant, but he lets it go. The only thing he wanted was to see Pongo happy, and here, he had completed his mission. So Stake grips Pongo's hand tighter, and they watch the light show in silence.

Until Stake said he needed to pee.


	13. The Stand

_I want to be strong._

He passes by the people of New LA, focused on faces he has yet to place names to. Or maybe he can name them, but he has yet to talk to them. The industrial district, outside of the Outfitters Test Hangar, is where he departs from. He walks past two people. A man and a woman. They converse amongst themselves as they observe a red photon saber in the man's hands. The man seems more anxious, while the woman sips her coffee like she has dealt with worse before. He knows who they are. Sergio and Mina. BLADEs he looks up to.

 _I want to be known._

His journey out of the industrial district leads him to the Repenta Diner, where a crowd has gathered around three people, who laugh amongst themselves as they indulge in a contest - for what, he does not know. But he recognizes the three participants, two men and one woman. Her blonde hair, her pink shirt and dark shorts, are an immediate standout. And the two men, both with white hair, argue amongst each other, with the blonde woman acting as their temporary peacekeeper. They speak with the people around them, unable to get a moment's rest as they are asked questions about their great adventures, putting whatever contest they had on hold. He knows who they are. Christie, Scarlen, and LLyud. BLADEs he looks up to.

 _I want to be loved._

He finds himself in the Commercial District, heading towards North Founder's Street. As the sun begins to set, he sees couples walking with each other, after a long day of work. In particular, he spots a blue skinned xenoform walking with a red haired man. He knows the xenoform as Elma, and of course he places a name to the man with red hair. His tattoo on the right side of his face gives him away.

But there is also two men walking together, one with light skin and one with dark, one with blonde hair and one with brownish-black. He smiles upon seeing Phog, the light skinned boy, take the dark skinned boy's hand in his as they converse amongst each other.

He knows who they are. Schwarzer and Danniel. BLADEs he looks up to.

 _I want to be brave._

As he passes a storefront, he overhears an argument between two people. One quick glance tells him that he is unfamiliar with one of the faces - probably the store manager, judging by her business casual fashion choice - but the other woman is someone he knows. How could anyone forget a smile like hers?

Upon closer observation, the argument is over someone being caught stealing. In fact, he sees the suspected culprit leaning against an opposite wall from where the conversation is happening. He sighs as he recognizes Yelv, a partner to all who know him, and a valuable friend. The woman winning the argument is giving her all, unafraid of what the store manager will say to confront her.

He knows who she is. Natasha. A BLADE he looks up to.

 _I want to be kind._

Following the road out of the commercial district, he decides to head towards the hangar underneath the Administrative District, planning to take the elevator up to the top floor. On his way, he sees two people near the tents on the elevated part of the hangar. Two women stand next to a taller guy who he knows as Doug. The first of the two ladies, donning a flower in her pink and green hair, takes Doug's hand in hers as she tries to tell him something. In response, the second girl takes Doug's other hand, the wings atop her minty green head flapping in excitement. He knows who they are. Chloris and Elysia. BLADEs he looks up to.

 _I want to be a hero._

He steps onto the elevator, and immediately the floor begins to rise. It takes a few seconds to reach the top, but once the gates open he steps off, finding himself on Division Drive. He turns right, towards Armory Alley and the BLADE Concourse, and hears the thump of a Skell as one of the giant machines walks past him. He watches it with indifferent eyes, but before he turns his head back, he sees two more people with each other, two more people he recognizes. They're being showered with praise; he overhears something about a dead tyrant that had been terrorizing BLADEs in Sylvalum. The man doesn't smile; he only moves his pink and green hair out of his face. But the woman smiles gently as they are awarded by the masses, her black hair tied back in a ponytail. He knows who they are. Melon and Rosetta. BLADEs he looks up to.

 _I want to be loved._

As he passes the BLADE Concourse, he walks past three people standing outside of the barracks. One taller woman, with silver-blue hair, towers over a boy with red hair and purple eyes, a scar running across his lip. They both talk to a woman with blue hair, and immediately he notices that one of her arms is mechanical, covered in a purple metal. They speak to the red haired boy with compassion, although there are some small teases mixed in. But it's obvious that they care deeply for this boy.

He knows who they are. Crimson, Genesis, and Meep. BLADEs he looks up to.

 _I want to have purpose._

And finally, he finds himself on the edge of the Administrative District, looking down at the water below him. To his right he catches a small glimpse of the Residential District, all of the people walking along its streets, all of the people who know who they are, who they want to be. And here he stands, alone with his thoughts, wondering how he could possibly compare to them.

 _I want to make a difference._

He closes his eyes.

 _I want to make a difference._

He sighs.

 _I want to make a difference._

And he gets the thought. A stupid one, perhaps. Maybe even one that people would frown upon. But it could bring him one step closer to making that difference, no matter how small.

Yes. He knew what to do.

 _I want to make a difference._

 _I bet hugs are capable of that._


	14. The Stand, Part 2

The morning brings a new perspective for Pongo as he heads towards the Commercial District, a spring in his step. After last night, he is ready to make a difference, no matter how small it might seem, and he knew exactly how he could do it. However, as he nears his destination, he realizes that he doesn't have any supplies to build what he needs, and he stops in his tracks, wondering what he would need to set up.

"Okay, need wood...paint, some sort of paint…" He says to himself, holding a hand to his chin in deep thought, "What color would attract people...maybe reds, pinks...what sort of indigen has materials needed to produce paint…."

Looking around at the tall buildings behind him, he frowns. "Would levitaths - no, do not be stupid, why would they - or maybe…"

"I hear scirpos do the trick."

Pongo doesn't realize that someone has walked up to his side, and had been listening to the conversation with himself. Turning his head, he meets the gaze of a dark haired woman with tanned skin, smiling as if she intends to help. He knows who she is. Soleil. A BLADE he looks up to.

Startled, he says, "Ah, thanks for - wait. Scirpos?"

She nods. "Yeah. Their acids have components that make paint."

He freezes up. "...oh."

Pongo curses internally, at both Mira and himself. Why did he have to have the largest fear of scirpos, ever?! Soleil notices him become tense and asks, "But I bet there's still some in stock somewhere. I heard that Brett from the convenience store got some the other day."

That helps him tremendously, and he lets out a huge sigh of relief. "Good to know."

Soleil smiles. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you need the paint for?"

Pongo tells her, "It is a surprise. It should be complete by today, though - come back here a little later, and I will show you!"

She chuckles, placing a hand on her hip. "Alright, then. It's Pongo, right?"

But she doesn't get a response, as Pongo has run off to get the supplies in an excited hurry. Shrugging, she walks off, making a mental note to return to the same spot later on.

Much to his surprise, it doesn't take Pongo long to haul some wooden boards and two buckets of paint over to the spot in the Commercial District that he had chosen. With some deconstructed road on the edge, it allowed for visitors to get a glimpse down at the water below the city, not to mention a spot out in the sun, where it was nice and warm. Pongo places the boards on the ground, followed by both buckets of paint. He grins in determination, and begins to construct his stand.

He's no builder, but once the base is done, he knows that it will be enough to support the boards that will be positioned above it. As he constructs the top half, he wonders if it would've been a smart idea to use a ladder, rather than relying on his height and standing on the base to reach it. But he has come too far, and refuses to get a ladder just for this one part. And so, the top half takes slightly longer to build, but once it's complete, it's just as sturdy as the bottom half.

Pongo steps back, wiping his forehead of the sweat that had accumulated on his brow. Now for the paint, he thinks to himself as he grabs both canisters. He opens them both, revealing the colors he had chosen: a bright rosy red, and a softer pink. He had two paintbrushs on hand that had come free with the purchase of the two buckets of paint, so he decides to start by doing the red, completely forgetting that light colors should be used first. Hopping back up on the base, he begins to paint letters onto the wooden surface; as he continues, Pongo is thankful that the paint isn't runny and sticks to the surface like glue.

In messy, but legible handwriting, the top half of the stand reads:

FREE HUGS

And as a final touch, he steps down, grabs the second paintbrush, and uses the pink to add a heart next to the letters. He steps back, staring at his new creation with the proudest look he has ever made.

The Free Hug Stand.

Pongo cleans up the remaining materials, closing the paint so it wouldn't spill accidentally (which, knowing him, he would kick it over and it would get onto him and it would be one giant mess). He places both buckets behind the stand and out of the way before he realizes - he doesn't have a chair. Biting his lip, he decides to run into the nearest building and grab one. Surely the staff of that store wouldn't miss it?

As Pongo runs inside, he spots a stool - perfect height, and perfectly simple. Finding himself in a rush to get back to his "business", he takes the stool and notices that a worker is eyeing him weirdly. Pongo slaps ten thousand credits on the chair next to him, within eyeshot of the worker, and runs out.

Hopefully that was the right amount.

Pongo returns to his stand and places the stool down, sitting on it with a wide grin. Now the Free Hug Stand is officially open, and he awaits people to hug. He makes himself sit up straighter and folds his gloved hands on the surface of the table - this is a business, and he must act like it's professional.

People walk by. They don't even look in his direction, for the first few minutes. This doesn't get him down; he probably should have advertised more. So Pongo keeps waiting...and waiting...and waiting…

The sun begins to set.

As people head back to their homes, Pongo's head lays in his hands, wondering if this truly was a stupid idea. Sighing, he realizes how childish this might seem, and he makes himself look back up at the empty space around him.

"Is this the surprise?"

Pongo's eyes widen as he sees Soleil standing on the opposite side, smiling. He answers with a tired voice, "Yeah, but...seems like it may not have been such a good idea, after all."

"What are you talking about?" She says, "This seems like a great idea! Do you know how many BLADEs have a tough day and just need someone to go to? You're doing something great here, Pongo."

"Then how come no one is here?"

"You didn't choose the most active location in the city. I bet you would've done better up in the Administrative District. But this can still work."

She pulls out her comm device, pressing button after button without saying a word. Confused, he asks, "What are you doing?"

"Calling up all of my friends. I bet they would all love to come here."

"..." Pongo gazes at her, eyes full of hope. "Thank you…"

Not even minutes later, Pongo watches as a line forms, a very, very long line. There are faces he recognizes, faces he doesn't, and faces he can't name. But they all want the same thing, it seems.

At first, he's unable to process it. All these people...they overwhelm him, and he finds his hands shaking at his sides. But as the first person steps forward - a young girl named Mavis - his insecurities leave his mind. He embraces her in the tightest, most heartfelt hug he ever gave, and he tries to hold his tears back, for he never imagined that people would find his stand useful.

Behind him, Soleil smiles.

"I'm happy to help. Good luck!"

Pongo watches her leave, still embracing Mavis. Soleil moves to the back of the line.


	15. Rip Pongo

Sy'Chell is awoken by the sound of something metallic hitting the floor in another room, and in confusion, he sits up, yawning quietly. He feels to his left, where his Casca sits on top of the bedside table, and slips it onto his head, restoring him of his sight for the time being. He gazes at the familiar room, pushing the covers off of his body with his feet as he stands up, stretching his arms outwards. Another loud bang raises his curiosity, and he turns towards the door to investigate, but not before he hears yet another large bang, followed closely by a string of curse words. Sy opens the door and walks out, chuckling as he peeks around the corner to witness Pongo in the kitchen.

It looks like a massacre, if kitchen utensils could be killed. The tops of the tables, along with select parts of the floor, are covered in what appears to be wet pancake batter combined with milk, and he even sees some cracked eggshells scattered around. In the midst of the chaos, Pongo tries to extinguish a small fire on the table in front of him, batting at it with an old towel, and in his other hand he holds a pan, holding a singular raw pancake. His purple vest and jeans are stained, and there are traces of egg yolk in his hair that drip down his face. Next to the fridge, watching the scene unfold, is Shun, who is trying very hard not to laugh at Pongo's shortcomings.

Sy steps in, and Pongo turns towards him, eyes wide. "S-SY! OH GODS I AM NOT FINISHED - FUCKING FIRE -" He finally puts out the fire with one strong bat of his towel, but at the same time some of the batter inside the pan goes flying into Pongo's face, hitting his nose. "AGH, FOR THE LOVE OF MIRA - SHUN FUCKING HELP ME!"

Shun gives him a thumbs up, but doesn't make any other move to help him. Sy chuckles again and takes a step forward to help Pongo, curious as to how he could screw up this badly, but Pongo notices and yells, "WAIT, NO! NO! I CAN DO THIS! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY MOTHERFUCKING PANCAKES, NOT TODAY!"

The fire appears again, the flames licking his elbow. He jumps up in pain, and rest of the batter goes flying, some of which Sy has to dodge as it flies towards the wall behind him. Pongo puts the fire out again and throws the pan on the table, wiping his brow and creating a smudge of batter across his forehead. He surveys the mess around him, sighs, and slowly sits himself down where he's standing, curling up into a tight ball in his shame. Shun pulls out his comm device, types a few things, and the silence is filled with sad air horn music. Sy walks around the table and kneels down to pat Pongo's head, doing his best to smile. Looking up at Shun, he growls, "Why was he even trying to make pancakes for me?"

Shun blinks, but Pongo is the one to answer. "Do I need a reason to be nice to my friends? I thought I could make something nice for you to wake up to, but it appears, as per fucking usual, that I am the largest fuckup, incapable of doing anything right."

Sy shakes his head and sighs. "That's cute. You didn't have to do this."

"But I wanted to. I just wanted some way to repay you for everything you have been doing to help me…"

This touches Sy, but he doesn't let it show. He decides to pat Pongo's head again before standing back up. "You've already done enough in return. Now help me clean this up."

Pongo lets his head perk up from in between his knees, smiling softly. "That, I can help with."

The three get to work cleaning up the kitchen. Shun takes charge of scrubbing the floors while Sy and Pongo clean the tables, placing the utensils in the sink to be washed. Something catches Sy's gaze, however: a vial of red liquid, corked by a black stopper. Picking up the vial in his right hand, he growls curiously, "What's this?"

Pongo tilts his head. "That? Oh, that is red vigent blood. Shun said it adds flavor so he bought some along."

Sy faces Shun, who's scrubbing the wall where Pongo had flung the batter. Knowing that the blood was toxic if ingested raw, he scowls, but he knows very well that this was meant to be a joke. Shun, in return, shrugs dramatically, like he doesn't know what Sy's getting at. So Sy continues to help Pongo, placing the vial in his pocket. But as he faces the indigo-eyed BLADE, he is shocked to discover that his sleeve has caught fire.

"...Pongo…"

"Yeah, Sy?" Pongo asks, before noticing his sleeve. "...SHIT."


	16. Strong, Like You

_Bernadette Sachs stepped into her apartment on a late Tuesday night, after a long day of training new recruits in the ways of the newly formed BLADE organization. The year was 2052, four years before their life on Mira began, and two years before the destruction of Earth. She had been well informed of the interstellar war heading their way, and she knew that, with her current standing in the military, she would be guaranteed a spot on the project only referred to as "Project Exodus." She found it strange that no one had thought about the possibility that Earth could survive this event, that no one had tried to protect their planet and instead had chosen to flee into the unknown, with the chance that they would never find another inhabitable planet to call their own._

 _But this isn't what she thought as she entered her small apartment, a few blocks away from the main operation for the ECP. She hadn't been here long; in fact, the apartment had been a gift from a higher officer who intended to have her around at all times, in case of a potential emergency. She thought this to be clever and accepted the offer, bringing along her six year old son along with her. Harold - or Harry, for short, named after one of Sachs's favorite romcom movie characters - ran to the door upon hearing her enter, smiling widely as he tugged on her loose fitting camouflage pants._

 _"Mommy! Mommy! I made something for you!"_

 _Sachs chuckled as Harry moved to tug on her arm, trying to get her to follow him further into the living room. "I'm coming, Harry, give me a moment to take off my boots before you drag me away." She slipped her boots off of her feet, leaving them on the carpet in front of the door, before following him to the coffee table in the middle of the room. Her bare feet touched the rug underneath, and she knelt down next to Harry as he picked up a piece of computer paper. Crayons were scattered all over the surface of the table, and she picked up a blue one - coral blue number 5 - and placed it back on the table as Harry pointed to his drawing._

 _"Look, Mommy! I drew you!"_

 _It was a terrible drawing - didn't capture Sachs's toned limbs quite enough - but she couldn't help but smile upon seeing the drawing, featuring Harry and her holding hands in front of the BLADE Headquarters, which stood a few blocks away from their apartment. "That's very good, harry!" She complemented. And then, she noticed the writing underneath - granted, some of the words were spelled wrong, but she could read it nonetheless._

 _"Best Mommy Ever, huh?"_

 _Harry nodded quickly, his curly brown hair flying wildly to catch up with his moving head. "Yup!"_

 _"...Damn straight, I am," Sachs told him, not toning down her language for his innocent mind. He had to learn about it someday, and she was intent on having him learn about everything at a young age. She found that the younger her recruits were, the more they were able to develop and grow stronger - Harry was no different._

 _Harry put the paper back down on the table and stood up. "How many things did you beat up today, Mommy?"_

 _It was an amusing question, and one that she answered honestly. "Seventeen. Had to get some new recruits back in line. Remember how I told you it's always important to pay attention? Well, they weren't."_

 _"And you beat them up!" His eyes went wide as he cheered her on. "You're so strong, Mommy! One day I want to be strong, like you!"_

 _Sachs had dismissed this almost too quickly, nodding half-heartedly. "It'll be hard work, but I bet you'll surpass me in no time, kid."_

 _Harry had smiled wide, jumping excitedly as Sachs stood up, intending to cook dinner for the two of them. Her mind never went back to what he had told her._

Until now.

Bernadette Sachs, the head of the Interceptors, now makes her way towards the Administrative District's jail - a vicinity she had no idea existed, up until today. She had been informed that one of her members had done something extremely out of character that had gotten him three days in a cell, and as she heads towards the BLADE Tower, she reminds herself that her newspaper is in her back pocket. She's sure she will use it.

In the elevator, she presses the button to go down to the final floor, and inputs her passcode into the screen once the prompt is given. It never crossed her mind that there would be anything significant on the last floor, but then again, she never had any reason to believe so. The elevator ride is quick and quiet, and as the doors slide open Sachs steps into a hallway, where two BLADE officers face her, guns drawn. They relax, however, upon recognizing her.

"Madame Sachs," One of them says, "It's an honor to-"

"Yeah, yeah, cut the bullcrap," Sachs interrupts, waving the kid off. "I'm looking for a kid. Came in last night."

The other officer nods. "Right this way."

They both lead her down the hallway to the last cell on the left. At first, she wonders if this is a trick, for the cell looks barren and lifeless. But then she sees him, hiding underneath the sheets on the bed, his long black hair only partly visible. Sachs turns to the guards. "Let me inside."

"Madame, I don't think-"

"Did I fucking stutter? Let me inside."

The guards hesitate, but then the first one pulls out a set of keys around a loop and finds the right one to open up the door. The other one, in the meantime, informs her, "You've got about ten minutes, madame. It's regulation that-"

"I know what the fucking regulations are, I don't need them read to me again," Sachs snarls as she steps inside the cell. The guards close the door, locking it again as a precaution, but they don't leave. Sachs growls, "Can you give us a few moments alone? Love to see how hardworking you are but I can handle myself."

The guards leave without saying anything. Sachs groans. "Damn fools."

There's a single chair pressed against the left wall, and she decides to take a seat, facing the bed with her Interceptor under the sheets. There are a few moments of silence as Sachs gains her bearings, and realizing that he wasn't going to turn around to face her, she says:

"Kid, what the fuck."

No response. Sachs shakes her head. "Didn't think you had any sort of nerve to do what you did. But now it's done. And...I would be lying if I said I was disappointed."

He shifts a bit in his bed. She senses his surprise at her statement, but Sachs doesn't point it out. Instead, she continues, "The entire time you've been with the Interceptors you've been one thing: a kid. Made every mistake in the book, haven't learned from them. You want to be better? Then things'll have to change. And today, you finally tried something that, in all honesty, was pretty damn magnificent."

She sighs. "Guess what I'm trying to say is...maybe this wasn't your highest moment. Not to you, at least. But when you look back on this, assuming you don't die anytime soon, you're gonna be damn proud of how far you've come, how much you've done to grow stronger."

He finally sits himself up, but he doesn't turn to face her. Even behind his curtain of hair she can tell that his cheeks are red, and his pupiless indigo eyes are moist with unborn tears. But something tells Sachs that she has been saying the right things - maybe it's the way he's holding his head up a little higher than usual.

"Madame Sachs...I do not think what I did could be classified as finding my strength…" He states quietly.

Sachs laughs at this. "Kid, I've never heard of a time where you willingly beat a bitch up. You seem too soft for that. But that's the thing." She takes a deep breath, leaning forward. "The bitch in question - Alexis, was it? - was insulting your friend. And you stood up for your friend by beating the everloving shit out of him. Bet anyone with some good morals would've done the exact same thing. Don't see why you're beating yourself up over it."

"...If you saw me...I laughed." He breathes, "I laughed when I was doing it. Like I was enjoying it...I think, looking back on it...I did enjoy it."

Sachs frowns. "And?"

"Madame Sachs...forgive me for asking, but do you really see nothing wrong with this? I acted so different…"

"Yeah, well, things can change. People can change. This isn't some goody fairy tale that gives you the happy endings." Sachs tells him, "And as I see it, you were earning your happy ending, for both you and your friend. So no. I don't see any problem with it."

One of the guards comes back, beginning to unlock the door. "Ten minutes is up. Sorry, Madame Sachs, but -"

"I know the fucking drill, I'm coming." Sachs stands up, preparing to leave. She turns her head towards Pongo and takes a step towards the door. "Just think on that, alright kid?"

Before she can leave, she hears him say, with a little more power than before:

"Madame Sachs...maybe one day...I can be strong, like you…"

 _"You're so strong, Mommy! One day I want to be strong, like you!"_

Sachs feels her heart pound inside her chest as he reminds her of that day, four years ago. She can't bring herself to tell him how much she reminds him of Harry, and instead makes the most of her second chance at answering him.

"Give yourself the three days. Then, come find me. I'll teach you everything I know."

"Wh-what? Really?" He says, perking up. "Madame Sachs, I would be honored!"

Sachs grins a little, leaving the cell and waiting for the guard to lock the door again. "I expect to see you then. Don't disappoint me, you hear?"

Before she turns to leave for good, she adds on, "And...you don't have to call me Madame Sachs if you want. Gets to be a fucking ear sore after a while. Call me Bernie."

He hesitates before replying, "Alright, Ma - I mean, Bernie."

As Sachs walks off, the mental image of Harry's smile, how excited he was when he showed her his drawing, plays in her head over and over again. And as she enters the elevator, the doors close quietly in unison, and she touches the newspaper in her back pocket.

Looks like she didn't need it, after all.


	17. Help him

The sun is bright as the two BLADEs make their way out of the East Gate, leaving their Skells parked at the entrance. For today's purposes, they wouldn't be using them - today is about training the physical body, a task that could be deemed impossible inside a mechanical suit. Led by a brown haired man, the duo heads for the base camp just outside of the East Gate, but he doesn't intend to stop there. The target for today's training is up ahead.

His name is Draco, a man commonly referred to as "Squad Dad" by his fellow operatives. Known for his high ranking in the scouting community, he takes great pride in knowing that he has helped those who feel their skills are inadequate. It is this pride that justified him bringing a younger BLADE along, one that is known for doubting his abilities in the field. Pongo, an Interceptor recognized through his pupiless indigo eyes, follows Draco past the base camp, surveying the familiar land around them with a nervous grin.

They continue to follow the dirt path down to a small plain, where Draco watches one of the tyrants, Hayreddin, march up a slope from a small beach area down below. He contemplates beginning with this tyrant; it would help him to understand Pongo's potential and allow for an accurate assessment of what he needs help with. But for now, he sets his sights on a small herd of Ovis that peacefully munch on the grass near a rocky wall. Draco walks up to them and points to the one closest to the two of them.

"Okay, Pongo, we're going to start off small. Try taking on one of these."

Pongo comes up to his side, and once he spots the Ovis his eyes widen. "What?! Absolutely not! Ovis do nothing wrong, why do I have to kill them?!"

"Practice. You want to be stronger, right?"

Pongo gulps. "I do, but...I refuse to kill them."

The Ovis closest to them turns its head in their direction, making a small noise to indicate its happiness. Before Draco can react Pongo is sitting next to the Ovis, rubbing its head and smiling like a child. The Ovis bleps, happily accepting Pongo's rubs, and Pongo tells Draco, "See? Harmless. I will not kill something that is so innocent and pure - awwwww." He's interrupted as the Ovis licks his cheek, and he giggles. Draco sighs, realizing there's no way to get Pongo to change his mind. The other Ovises begin to swarm around Pongo as he laughs, trying his best to pet every single one of them. Draco can swear that, in the midst of all of the Ovises' noises, he can hear Pongo mimicking them exactly.

Eventually one of the Ovises strays towards Draco, rubbing his leg with its nuzzle. Draco kneels down, frowning. "I suppose…" He begins to scratch its head, and it lets out a noise like a purr. As Pongo stands up, he sees Draco stroking the Ovis and smiles widely. "See? Totally harm...less…"

His tone shifts drastically as he catches sight of something behind them. A shadow looms over Draco's head, causing him to turn around. The Ovises bark at each other and run in the opposite direction of the creature causing the shadow, and as Draco realizes what it is, he feels his heart pounding inside his chest.

Of course it's Hayreddin. Of. Course.

The unusually large Simius lets out a massive roar, pounding its chest with its fists. Pongo gasps, backing up. "Draco, our Skells…"

"Don't need them," He responds, drawing his longsword and pointing it at the tyrant. "If you won't fight the Ovis, then at least fight this."

Draco's left hand glides over his blade as he unleashes his aura, Offensive Stance. Preparing to use Blossom Dance, he looks back once at Pongo to see what he's doing, before he unleashes the powerful melee art against the tyrant in a mad flash of movements. Draco's mind is clear, focused on the task at hand, and he almost doesn't notice Pongo move from his position behind him to the right flank of the beast, his photon saber drawn. Gears and circles swirl at his feet, indicating that he has activated Overdrive, and he boosts his critical power with a Primer before cutting in with a Starfall Rondo, a move that sends him spinning in circles midair as his saber continuously hits the tyrant's flank. It cries out in pain, and Draco smiles before using Rising Blade, another melee art that strikes at the chest of the Simius in three consecutive hits.

Hayreddin roars again, and it spins around to face Pongo. The indigo-eyed BLADE steps back, preparing to face its next attack. The Simius charges directly at him, sending him flying into the air and landing at an awkward angle a few yards away. The Simius uses its fist to pound the ground around Pongo, and he rolls out of the impact of several of them. It's clear, however, that he's still slightly disoriented by the first attack, and as he regains his footing he uses Astral Heal to regenerate his strength. Draco finds himself behind the beast and decides to finish the job with another perfectly aimed Blossom Dance. The Art has the intended outcome, as the final hits come close to ending the tyrant's life. It's with another Starfall Rondo from Pongo that the beast lets out a defeated roar as its body crumples to the ground. As Pongo's Overdrive ends, he looks at the corpse, his eyes wide.

Draco turns to Pongo, smiling. "Look! You did it!"

Pongo faces him with a look of pure confusion. "I...survived that?..."

"Yup! And with hardly a scratch on you!"

Pongo stays confused for a while, but as the realization sets in, his eyes light up like stars in the night sky and he smiles widely. "Oh my gods...we did it!"

Draco is about to applaud him, but Pongo's expression suddenly shifts as he goes green and turns around, doubling over and releasing all of the contents in his stomach. Draco facepalms with a sigh.

Too many Starfall Rondos.


	18. Insert Mulan song here

On a clear night in Noctilum, the wind is almost nonexistent, a faint whisper in the immovable flora that characterizes the continent. Levitaths and cetos glide through the sky, lighting up the world around them, their echoes ringing across the plains as they go about their lives in harmony. Below them, in an area of blue grass, a vigent prepares itself for sleep, curling up into a tight ball and closing its eyes, awaiting the morning, when it would continue to hunt for food and enjoy its life. At the water's edge, terebras bounce around, challenging themselves to do backflips into the water in spectacular splashes. Here, the waterfalls are quiet, as their distance is too great for any noise to reach them.

In the midst of this peaceful night, one lone figure stand out: a human, with hair as dark as the night sky, but eyes that could be mistaken for stars - bright, indigo, and a light in the darkness. He stands by the water, on the opposite side of the blue grassy area, watching the terebras have their fun in the water. As he observes them, he finds himself quietly humming an Earth song that one of his friends had shown him - Blackbird. The band had been referred to as the Beatles, but he has no idea what a beetle is - perhaps his friend had meant to say "Blatta" instead. Nevertheless, he continues to hum the tune, debating sitting down as he realized the extent of his fatigue. A hard day of work had left him tired, to such an extent that coffee could not possibly counter it.

Finding serenity in his surroundings, he goes to sit down, but pauses as a familiar voice rings inside his mind, interrupting his thoughts.

 _Let me guess...you are humming an Earth song._

He nods, though there's no one around him that he nods to. "It might be one of my favorites."

 _I do not see the appeal._

"Of course you do not, you hate humanity. You never give them a chance."

 _I gave them more chances than your pathetic brain could ever contemplate. But I refuse to discuss this today. I am weary._

The boy frowns. "You too, huh?" He sighs, finally sitting down and allowing his legs to stretch out so that his shoes touched the water that licked the shoreline. "Anything on your mind?"

 _Actually, as of late I have been thinking of you - stop blushing, you know I did not mean it like that, the voice growls as he grows a little red in the cheeks, Over the past few weeks, the humans have been training you to become stronger. Is this not the case?_

He nods. "No, you have it right."

 _Here is my question for you, then: what makes you think that you are not strong?_

The boy's expression shifts for a moment as he tries to come up with an appropriate response. "I feel...every time I try to protect others, that it never works out. If I cannot protect my friends, then surely I am not strong."

The voice chuckles. _There are other ways to be strong. For instance, do you have any idea how strong your hugs are? I watched you almost suffocate a few humans in your embrace. I was almost proud of you._

"...Almost proud?"

 _Well…_ The voice pauses. _Let me rephrase that: I was almost convinced you were trying to help my cause. As for being proud of you...well, I am, for the most part._

"What is there to be proud of?..."

 _You self-degrading piece of…_ The voice groans. _You know what, I want to show you something. Look down into the water._

The boy scowls. "Why?"

 _I am starting to regret saying that I am proud of you. Just do it._

The boy does as he is told and shifts his position onto his knees, bending down to look into the water's surface. As the waves touch his fingers, he only sees his reflection, a confused stare into the ever rippling water, as well as some of the brighter stars above his head. But besides this, there is nothing odd about the water, or his appearance, for that matter.

 _I want you to concentrate on your reflection. The voice orders him, And try not to blink._

He blinks.

 _For the love of shit._

"Sorry!" The boy cries, "I had to!"

 _Riiiiigggghhhhtt. Now, focus. If you think you can._

The boy takes a deep breath, his exhales rippling the water below his face. As the ripples fade into each other, his image begins to shift, his eyes turning white. He tenses up for a moment, being all too familiar with this change in appearance, but before he backs away he notices that other images are forming behind his reflection. Faces, bodies, stand behind him despite no one behind there physically, and he starts to recognize them. All of them are his friends, the ones he holds close to his heart, and they're all smiling, laughing, having fun. He finds himself smiling too, disregarding his eye color as he laughs quietly. A feeling begins to form inside of him, a rare one felt less often than the rest.

Victory.

 _See? All these people. Every single one of them, you helped. You made them smile. And that is a far greater strength to have than being physically strong._

The boy feels the urge to blink, but holds back. "You seem like a hypocrite for saying that. If you really believed kindness was the strongest trait, then why not use it with the humans?"

 _There is a fine line between being kind and being merciful. The time for being both of those things has passed. Never be kind to those who wronged you - that is my philosophy._

The boy nods, his hair falling in front of him as he continues to gaze into the image, his heart pounding at the sight of so many smiling faces. "But would it not be wise to forgive? Is that not a strength of its very own?"

The voice goes quiet. _I suppose it could be. But forgiving the humans… I do not think I could…_

"Is there anything I could do to convince you?"

 _No, it is not like that. But the wounds they have caused me are still fresh. Things like this, if anything, need time. Perhaps one day I will come to terms with them and forgive. But today is not that day._

His eyes begin to burn after staring for so long. "Y-Yes, I understand."

 _...you can blink now, you know._

The boy gasps, shutting his eyes as small tears drip down from his eyelids. The voice inhales deeply before saying:

 _...Boy_.


	19. Luigibagel Strikes Again

Pain.

This pain is immeasurable, this pain is excruciating, this pain is relentless and undying. The jumble of nerves and wires in his systems scream out, begging for it to stop, to end the suffering and to find some sort of peace. Wild flashes race through his mind, some of his life, and of a life now intertwined with his. He can't tell if he's still breathing, or if he's already dead. What would death feel like, he wonders. What would happen if I were to die, right now?

Blurred vision, spots of colors and shades, block his field of view, only being able to process one figure in front of him. The creature responsible for this pain, a horrible chimera-like beast infamous for is tyrannical reign, snarls as it focuses on him. Sweating profusely, he shakes as he tries to control his body to step back, an effort made in vain. He cannot stop his body from collapsing onto the floor as the pain hits his stomach, spreading to every part of him while the creature screeches in pleasure.

In one moment of rest, he can understand what is happening. The creature is Lugalbanda, an indigen of immense power with the ability to control its victims to do terrible things. He had come to its cavern to face it alone, in the hopes of growing stronger. It was all he wanted, before this moment: to be strong, to protect his friends.

Now, all he wants is an end.

His already spiraling vision worsens as tears cloud his view, but he can still see the tyrant, as clear as day, as it steps towards him, its tentacles preparing to take his body into its mouth. He doesn't think to fight, he doesn't think to reach for his weapons - rather, he is almost accepting of this fate, as cruel and as terrible as it seems. Besides, he knows that no one would miss him. He never did anything worthy of being remembered. All of his love, all of his efforts to protect - they led to nothing, in the end.

So as the first tentacle slides around his legs, he closes his eyes.

But then, something strange happens, something unprecedented. The tyrant screams not in triumph, but in agony, releasing him from its grip as it springs back, grabbing at its misshapen head with its claws. He drops to the floor, more pain erupting inside of him upon the impact. His vision goes black, but he fights to stay conscious, letting the screams of the creature keep him awake. Then, over the noise, he hears them.

The voices.

They are whispers, at first, but in one quick flash they turn into shouts, far louder than those of the tyrant's. English mixes with indigen noises, incoherent and growing louder every second. He gasps, eyes still closed, as his ears leak blue blood. His hands grab for his ears, trying to cover them in the hopes of blocking out the noise, but again, his efforts are futile.

When his eyes finally force themselves open, his vision is still incredibly blurry, but now, instead of the clear image of the tyrant before him, there is something new. In the center of the cavern, curled into a tight ball, is…

No…

He lets out an ungodly shriek, not human, and not anything indigenous to the planet. Crouched on all fours, he watches in terror as his body stands up, his shoulders slumped and his legs positioned at an awkward angle. Slowly, the expression changes: from confused, to relieved, to horrified. But in his mind, there is only fear.

Finally, the body turns to face him, and where a set of innocent indigo eyes should have been, there are two completely black irises, void of life. The mouth parts and attempts at a noise, but nothing comes out. He tries to communicate, and another screech echoes against the cavern walls. He wishes he could cry, for his new gaze seem incapable of doing so, despite the rush of emotions cascading through his brain. And the voices...why won't they stop?!

Finally, the body is able to form a small noise, but it is quiet, barely audible, and definitely not English. In response, he whimpers, backing up against the wall as he looks down at his new feet. Clawed toes, scaly and unnatural, lead up to a far worse image, one that he has feared for quite some time. He never asked for this…

 _Hang on. I can fix this._

A single voice, one that is familiar and welcoming in this moment of hysteria. He closes his eyes and waits for something, anything, to happen. He prays to the gods, every last one of them that he can name, and throws in a few for those that he cannot place names to. And when his eyes open, the voices diminish, and he stands within his own body again, gazing upon the tyrant, who is still crouched against the far wall. His hands quiver as he contemplates his next move; he could run, but now, it almost feels wrong.

So instead, he does what his heart tells him to do. He reaches out his hand towards the tyrant, tears still streaming down his face, and he whispers:

"Are you okay?"

The creature tilts its head, a mannerism that he does when he's curious or confused. In this instance, the tyrant growls as it takes a tentative step forward. He smiles gently, taking this to be a good sign.

"Hey, I am really sorry about...well, whatever just happened. And I am super sorry I attacked you. See, I wanted to prove that I can be strong, and you are strong, and I thought -"

The tyrant stares at him for a long enough time that he starts to feel uneasy, and he stops talking as it snarls at him. It sits itself down where it stands, curling itself up a bit, but keeping its gaze on him. A brief moment of silence keeps him on edge, but when the beast beckons him over with his tail, he starts to understand something.

Lugalbanda has more to it than people believe.

No emergency calls for backup. No texts or phone calls to check in. Pongo has not returned to New LA after venturing out on his own, supposedly on a gathering mission. But after twelve hours of not hearing from him, Elysia takes it upon herself to take a team to his last known coordinates in Noctilum. She follows the spot on her comm device to a familiar cavern, one she knows to be the hideout of the Wanderer King, and as she hesitates to go inside, she looks behind at her two friends, Ozzy and Scarlen, to see if they're just as frightened as she is. Her flashback to the last fight with Lugalbanda replays in her mind, but she shakes it off, stepping inside.

The sight is exactly the opposite of what she had expected.

Lugalbanda is there, in the center of the cavern as it normally is, curled up with its tail over its face to block its eyes from view. It breathes slowly, its chest rising up and down as it snores, but what strikes Elysia is that Pongo has fallen asleep within Lugalbanda's position, his head resting against its flank and his legs pressed loosely against his own body, while Lugalbanda's tail wraps around him, almost as if it is protecting him from some unknown force.

Elysia's jaw drops, and she can tell that Ozzy and Scarlen have a similar reaction. She breathes, "What do we do?"

Scarlen replies, "I...have no idea, really. But Pongo looks happy."

Elysia turns back towards Pongo and notices that, in his sleep, he is indeed smiling. She sighs as Ozzy comes up to her side. For some odd reason there's a rock in his right hand, but he does nothing with it as he tells her, "Looks like Luigibagel might not be so bad, after all."

She nods. "Yeah. Pongo really does bring out the best in people - as angsty as they might be."

With that, they leave out the entrance from which they came, leaving behind the Wanderer King and Pongo, who still smiles as he dreams.

It may so happen that there are other ways to be strong.


	20. Don't buy clothes at the soup store

"Man, I love Noctilum missions! Especially if the energy mist comes around - of course, it's prettier in Sylvalum, but it's so pretty here too!"

The team of four BLADEs walks along the water's edge at the highest point in Noctilum, the Divine Roost, in the dead of night. The sky is painted with mixtures of blues, blacks, and reds, while the stars above almost look like the energy mist particles that float in the air around them. The one rambling about the continent's beauty, the head of the squad, is Meep: a blue haired woman with the Pathfinders whose gaze is transfixed on the massive flower in the middle of the roost. At her side is a dark skinned boy with freckles covering almost every inch of his face, Danniel. A little further behind, the other two members make sure to cover their backs as they led the way further in - as Interceptors, Jaynix and Pongo wanted to make sure they did their job and protect the others from any potential threats.

The group stops near a pack of diluses that stand in the shallow water, hunting around for small creatures to eat. Meep and Danniel turn towards Pongo and Jaynix, who are both concentrated on the diluses - they're known to be aggressive, and they will attack if they're seen.

"Alrighty, we just have to get a few water samples," Danniel informs them, "Shouldn't take long at all!"

Meep nods. "Yup! I hope what the scientists said is true...it'd be amazing if this stuff had regenerative properties!"

Danniel is the first to kneel down, an empty flask in his hand. Jaynix smiles to herself as she turns towards the diluses, noticing that one has drifted a little closer to them. Something else has grabbed Pongo's attention, however, as his gaze follows a beast flying in circles in the air above them. Yellow crystalline wings are a great contrast against the dark skies, and in the middle of the silence, it lets out an ear deafening roar. He's not bothered by it, as it's typical of this creature, but there is something about it now that calls to him, tugging at his heart in ways that he cannot put into words.

The Telethia sure is beautiful tonight.

Danniel puts a rubber stopper on the flask now that it has been filled, and as he stands up he grins. "All done! Well, that was quick!"

A small statement interrupts the flow of thoughts in Pongo's mind, so brief that it is almost dismissed completely.

Danny sure is beautiful tonight.

Meep folds her hands across her chest, the metal on her right arm gleaming. "Yup! That was fun! And we got super lucky that nothing attacked us!"

Jaynix allows herself a moment to focus on them, the dilus no longer in her field of vision. "Y'know, as soon as we get back to the city, Meep - I'd love to treat you to something. You free for something tonight?"

Meep is almost oblivious to the fact that she's trying to flirt with her, and she nods excitedly. "Sounds like fun!"

As they continue to talk, Pongo wanders off, still following the Telethia's path with his doesn't notice that it seems to be descending towards him, as he is locked in some sort of trance. To those who blinked in this moment, they would not have noticed the brief flash of white in his normally indigo gaze. None of the others seem to realize the Telethia's downward movement, but they do notice how far Pongo has strayed. In an attempt to bring him back over, Jaynix yells, "Hey! You coming?"

This breaks him out of his hypnotic state, and he shakes his head, smiling as the effects wear off. "Yeah, coming!"

He takes one step, but he has no time to take another. The Telethia has come down far enough to land just behind him, and his eyes widen as a loud thump shakes the ground below. Meep, Jaynix, and Danniel all stare up at the creature now standing behind him, and Pongo is afraid to turn around.

"Guys…." He whispers, his shoulders stiffening.

Then, before any of them can react, the Telethia bends down and snatches Pongo within its beak, using the fabric of his vest to lift him up several feet into the air. He squirms a little, his jaw dropping in surprise as the altitude changes drastically, and it cues the rest of the team running towards him. Jaynix draws her longsword, prepared to strike, but as she inches forward she doesn't anticipate this action drawing the attention of the dilus from before. The alligator-like creature lunges at her and hits her into the ground. She yelps as the wind is knocked out of her lungs, and all she can see if the massive jaw of the dilus prepared to devour her face. Meep and Danniel look at a loss for what to do, but ultimately they are not given a choice, as the Telethia propels itself back into the air with its mighty wings, bringing Pongo along with it. Meep and Danniel run to help Jaynix, and several Arts later, Jaynix is standing, and the dilus is slumped on the ground, dead. Danniel shudders as he puts his knife away, staring up at the Telethia before it flew out of their view.

"W-What do we do?! It took Pongo!" He cries.

Meep's scowl is one of worry, and she goes to answer him, but not before Jaynix shouts, "We've gotta take it down! We can't just let it get away after taking Pongo like that!"

"Jaynix, the Endbringer is extermely powerful - like, extremely. Powerful." Meep says with a quiet sigh. "We'd need all of BLADE to go after it, and even then it'll be hard to take it down. And I, for one, don't even want to fight it! For all we know, it might not want to hurt Pongo!"

"But why take that chance?" Jaynix counters.

The team is quiet. The Telethia is far out of range by now, but Meep still stares in the direction it went. She makes her decision.

"Let's follow it. If it attacks, then we'll get help. But like I said, maybe it doesn't want to hurt him."

Dannie turns to face her, his shiny bronze eyes full of worry. "I'll follow you anywhere. But I'm gonna admit, I'm terrified."

As the three look off into the distance, she sighs.

"I hope he's okay…"

The Telethia touches down on one of the highest peaks in the roost, a mountain top only reachable by human Skells and other flying indigens. It bends down and puts Pongo on the ground, but with a little too much force. Placed down on his rear, he whimpers a bit as he stands, turning to face the creature as his hands shake at his sides.

"...hi."

The Telethia blinks, and suddenly he hears a voice in his head, similar to the times Mira speaks without taking control. "You are the planet's human form, no?"

Pongo is taken aback - how could the Telethia know this? - but he nods. "Well, technically yes. But you are not speaking to Mira at the moment."

"Then what the fuck are you doing here? Can't Mira just, you know, take control? I really need to talk to it."

"That is not how it works," He tries to explain, "You see, long story short, the humans have been mining the heck out of miranium, and in turn, Mira has been really weak."

The Telethia stares at Pongo for a good long while, and Pongo starts to feel uncomfortable, so he shifts his position and attempts a smile. But the Telethia is not amused, it seems.

"You know...I'm supposed to be the guardian of the planet. And the humans. Are hurting. The planet. You wanna know what that means for me?"

Pongo opens his mouth to answer, as it's obvious what the Telethia's getting at, but it continues on without giving him a chance to speak. "It means that the humans are my enemies. Like, I'm supposed to stop them from hurting Mira, because I'm Mira's guardian. Now I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that Mira also isn't very happy about this bullshit, right?"

Pongo nods quietly. "Right. It wants humanity dead, actually-"

He bites his tongue, realizing that now that the Telethia knows what Mira wants, it might have to oblige. Gods, did he just turn the Telethia against humanity?!

"Pfft, typical Mira. I understand the grudge, but sometimes it takes things a bit too far." The Telethia chuckles to itself. "Look, whatever the fuck your name is -"

"Pongo."

"That's fucking stupid. Okay, Pongo, tell you what - can you pass a message onto Mira or some shit? Since obviously, I have to tell you and not Mira about this. Not my preference, but if the humans really screwed up as bad as you say they did, then you're my only option."

Pongo feels his hands ball up into fists, but he doesn't let his nerves get the best of him. "Alright, fire away."

The Telethia paws at the ground with a sharpened claw, moving away a patch of dirt and revealing something buried underneath. It beckons Pongo with the same claw to come towards it, and Pongo takes a hesitant step forward, peering at what is under the ground. As he gets closer, he sees the object emitting an icy blue light, and he picks it up - it's an orb, not too much bigger than his hands as he cups it, staring into it as he watches small circles swirl inside of it. The Telethia speaks again as he observes the orb in curiosity, his head tilting to the left slightly.

"So I'm not sure how much Mira has told you about the life cycle here, but basically, I've heard this one theory that sorta sums it up. This one guy - bald, scars in a few places - wouldn't stop talking about it on the one mission I saw him come here. But that's besides the point. Basically, when something dies here, its soul creates a new form for itself, and becomes a new creature. Thus, the planet never runs out of life. It's a nice balance, no matter what the fuck tries to screw it up. Except...something's screwing it up."

The Telethia points to the orb with its claw; the tip alone is probably ten times the size of Pongo's head. "That's a Ker'ach'asi. Or, as you humans could call it -"

"A shardstone." Pongo can translate Mira's secret language perfectly, saying this almost out of reflex.

The Telethia looks impressed for a brief second before it continues, "Basically the Ker'ach'asi can hold souls that aren't strong enough to make new bodies just yet. I've only ever seen small ones before, and they disappear quickly. But this one is about the largest one I've found, and I'm going to bet my emeralds that there's more out there - larger ones, maybe. I've been at this huge loss over what the fuck's screwing with the cycle, though, so I thought - well, I thought Mira could explain."

Pongo continues to stare into the orb, now realizing that the swirls are the souls of the indigens that have been killed, but were unable to create new bodies for themselves to keep the cycle on Mira continuous. He's been explained this before, thanks to Mira, so he also realizes that it's the planet that helps regulate the cycle, and in its weakened state, it's possible that the cycle was thrown off because of all the mining done. And so he explains this to the Telethia, who finally sits itself down on its back legs.

"So...remember what I said before about Mira overdoing its grudges? Well, scratch that. It has a right to be mad." It finally says, after a while. "If humans are responsible for all of this, then things really need to change."

"They never realized that what they were doing was wrong," Pongo says quietly, "But...you have no idea how hard it is to try and get humans to change."

"Okay, pause for a second. That sounds so...how would you put it, angsty? Yeah. You came off as really angsty there." The Telethia jokes. "Lighten up, will ya? It's not the end of the world. It'll take more than this to bring Mira down for good. And I'll do everything I can to help on my end of the spectrum. You just keep doing whatever the fuck humans have you doing, maybe try and mine less, and Mira will bounce back. It's more adaptable than you think."

Pongo grins. "Thanks. Say, you are pretty cool - for the most powerful and dangerous indigen on the planet."

The Telethia attempts a smile in response. "Aww, thanks. I really try my hardest to be the scariest and most intimidating thing in existence. I think the wings really do it." It stands itself back up, ruffling itself out. "Well then, I should be off. Nice to know you're around to talk to."

Pongo goes to wave it goodbye, and as the Telethia takes off with a few large flaps of its wings, he suddenly realizes that he has no way of getting back down to the ground below - his Skell is still where he left it, at the entrance to the Divine Roost, and there would be no way in hell that he would be able to survive the jump, gravity difference aside. He almost calls out to the Telethia, but it doesn't take it long to get to of earshot, and out of view entirely. Pongo sighs, bending down to look at the ground below him as he contemplates what to do. Maybe he could do some rock climbing?

"Hi there, human!"

He almost jumps far enough to launch himself over the edge, but he is able to get his bearings back before he falls to his immediate death. As he turns around, he is faced with a mirror image of the Telethia - except, this one is sized down to about the size of Doug's new sports car, and it gleams at him with a childish innocence.

Pongo blinks in confusion. "Um...hello there?..."

"I'm Mothy and I saw you don't have wings so I'm going to be your wings and help you back down to your friends!" It cheers, patting the ground excitedly with all four paws. Pongo grins, becoming at ease with this small Telethia, despite his confusion about how and when it came into existence. Was there another bigger Telethia he didn't know about?...

Mothy walks over and nudges Pongo gently. "C'mon, Mister Human! Climb on and we can fly together!"

Pongo frowns, a little skeptical at first, but he decides that nothing could possibly go wrong, and he jumps onto Mothy's back with a small "humph". Mothy squirms a bit as Pongo latches onto some fur on the back of his head, and the Telethia yells, "Hang on tight!"

With no warning, it takes off, heading downwards faster than Pongo anticipates. The wind rushes against his skin and his hair flies backwards, and he does his best to keep his eyes open to watch every second of Mothy's graceful descent. The energy mist is still prevalent, and he admires how it almost seems as though they are flying past thousands of tiny stars. He laughs, having never experienced this thrill before, and for the first time in weeks all of his worries disappear. For now, he is happy.

"Scarlen, we might need your help. Are you doing anything?"

"Yeah, buying clothes, but I can't find them. There's only soup."

Meep frowns as she talks with Scarlen over her comm device. She's been calling BLADEs for ten invites trying to get them to come and help - not many, of course - but they all seemed busy with something else at the moment. So as Danniel and Jaynix wait for the order to get in their Skells, Meep talks with Scarlen over the comm device, praying for at least one other person to help them try and recover Pongo. Time is precious, so if Scarlen can't come, then it will just be the three of them - and those odds against the Telethia are slim indeed.

"What do you mean, there's just soup?" She asks.

"I mean, there's only soup."

"Have you tried looking down another aisle?"

"I'll check."

The sound of feet against a tile floor echoes across the comm as Scarlen moves to another aisle.

"...There's more soup."

"What?! How?! Try another aisle!"

"All of the aisles have soup!"

"What store are you in?!"

"I'm at SOUP!"

"What do you mean, you're AT soup?!"

"I mean, I'm at the Soup Store!"

"WHY ARE YOU BUYING CLOTHES AT THE SOUP STORE?!"

"FUCK YOU!"

And before Meep can respond, Scarlen hangs up on her, and the comm goes silent. Meep sighs to herself, putting the comm in her pocket. "Looks like it's just us," She tells Danny and Jaynix.

Jaynix crosses her hands over her chest as she leans back against her Ares 90. "We could take it. Anything to get Pongo back!"

Just as she says this, Danny spots something flying towards them and yells, "Watch out!" before he tackles Meep to the ground. She's thrown off guard and her head hits the floor with a thud, and something flies just above them within inches of hitting Danny. The creature lands near Jaynix, who has already drawn her longsword, but a certain British accent calls out, "Wait! Hey! Do not attack please!"

Jaynix lowers her guard, the blade almost touching the ground. "Pongo! You're okay!"

Pongo jumps off of the creature's back, landing ungracefully next to her as Meep and Danny got up. Meep is blushing slightly, but Danny doesn't notice, as he's too busy observing the beast that has just landed. Pongo turns to face its head and says something they can't interpret. To them, he sounds like the creature as they exchange a few words, and the creature bounces a little before it lifts off again, heading into the night sky to rejoin its parent. Pongo sighs, then turns back to them, expecting a bunch of questions but answering them before they can ask.

"The Telethia just wanted to chat. It is worried about some of the things that have been happening as of late, but it seems like everything will work out for the better. I hope I did not scare you…you were probably worried to death…"

Meep walks up to him, putting her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "We were worried, but we're not anymore! You're here now and that's all that matters!"

Danny nods in agreement. "Yeah, I'm glad you're okay. Let's head back before any other giant dragon beasts snatch you up!"

The team shares a bout of laughter before Meep leads them back towards their Skells. Pongo trails behind, looking up for one last moment to see if he could catch a final glimpse of the Telethia. But the sky is dark, and he instead takes pleasure in the comfort of his friends as they leave the Divine Roost to head home.


	21. Mira's Christmas, Part 1: The Beginning

Mira's Christmas, Part 1

The first few months of living on Mira had been tough for the human race, as they struggled to adapt to their new environment and make use of the resources they were given. But now, in the winter season, humanity thrives, being able to overcome their greatest obstacles and end the war with the Ganglion.

Despite this, the humans have grown tired. Under BLADE, work has grown repetitive and does not bear the same fruit as it had before. Operatives live a life in repeat, doing what they can to help, but finding that their efforts, on their own, are almost unnoticed. Even the most highly respected BLADE, Elma, has grown weary of her work.

However, this would soon change.

Inside the BLADE barracks, Elma and Lin converse with each other. Lin's age does not alter Elma's vision of her; being a young genius has more benefits than drawbacks, and Lin has proven again and again that she is just as powerful and smart as the highest BLADE officers. Elma respects her, and is glad she could accept her into her team.

Lin hovers over the table, cutting vegetables into small cubes to throw into her soup, which is brewing behind her in a large pot. Judging by the smell, Elma knows that it will taste amazing once it's complete - then again, when isn't Lin's cooking less than perfection? Elma leans back into the couch cushions, her long luminescent hair draping over her pale shoulders.

"I've felt it growing colder outside. I'm beginning to wonder if Mira has seasons similar to those on Earth."

Lin swipes some diced tomatoes off to the side and continues to cut up more with her sharp knife. "Wouldn't be hard to believe. Mira rotates around a sun and on an axis, just like any other planet. But I guess it would depend on how fast either of those are."

Elma nods. "Seems like an interesting thing for BLADE to study. I'll have to bring it up with the Secretary next time I see him."

"Hey, Elma..." The Outfitter says, looking up from her work. "Do you think everyone will want to keep celebrating Christmas?"

That earns a small chuckle from the xenoform. "I don't see why people would stop celebrating it, or any of the other holidays. Remember, we celebrated Halloween."

"Right! That was super fun," Lin responds, "But, I was thinking...what if Santa never made it onto an arc? Who will deliver the presents if he's not alive anymore?"

Elma frowns. "Santa..."

She doesn't know if Lin means this as a joke, or if she still believes in the fictional being. It wouldn't be hard to believe the latter, given her age, but with her intelligence Elma had expected her to grow out of the childish belief. How was she to answer this question without saying that Santa isn't real?

"I bet he found a way off Earth," She reassures her slowly, "And he'll be delivering presents this year, just as he always does."

"Hmm...do you think he was on the White Whale? Since we were all in stasis, we couldn't celebrate Christmas..."

"I would say so."

Lin smiles as she finishes dicing the tomatoes, taking a small break to wash her hands in the sink behind her. "Looks like I've got to make my Christmas list then! I hope it's not too late..."

Elma gives her a soft grin, but doesn't say anything else. The barracks door opens and closes, and Elma turns her head to greet the newcomer. A BLADE donning a purple combat vest and black shiny jeans that may have fit a little too well, he's instantly recognizable by his pupiless indigo gaze. Some of his long black hair falls onto his nose, and he pushes it out of the way with a gentle touch of his fingers. Elma blinks, watching him come further into the room. "Welcome back, Pongo. How did the mission go?"

"Had to fight off a few insidias, but otherwise the Curators were able to reach their sample safely," Pongo tells her as he takes a seat next to her, letting his head fall back on the cushions. "They were so happy. And no one died!"

Lin frowns, turning back around. "That's awesome!" She grabs a bowl and begins to slide the tomatoes in with her knife. "Hey Elma, do you think it would be weird to ask for grosium cores for Christmas? We've been short on them for Skell development for a while."

Elma shrugs. "It's your list, Lin. Add whatever you want to it."

Pongo sits up, and Elma watches as he grows confused. "What is...Christ Imaz?" He asks, trying to pronounce the word right and failing miserably.

Lin gasps. "Wait, you don't know what Christmas is?! Where have you been?!"

"Lin, if this was an Earth thing..." He says quietly, looking down as he hesitates on what he says next. "Of course I would not know it."

She realizes why he's awkward about this and her shoulders slump. "Oh...right, sorry."

He notices how sad she looks and immediately regrets his actions, and he tries to brighten up the conversation by asking, "So what exactly is Christ Imaz?"

Elma laughs. "It's pronounced Christmas. And it's a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus."

"But people mostly celebrate it because it's when Santa comes and delivers presents to all the good kids!" Lin continues, looking around for spices to throw into the bowl with the tomatoes.

Pongo frowns. "Santa...wait, who is Santa? Is he a BLADE?"

"Nope, he's the head of the North Pole - or he was, back on Earth," She replies, pulling out some jars of spices. "And he had a whole workshop full of elves that made presents to deliver on Christmas night!"

"...elves."

"Elves!"

"Like Legolas?"

Elma grins as he remembers the elf from the Earth book series she had introduced him to. "Not exactly. The elves have pointy ears, but they're much smaller and they specialize in making presents."

Pongo nods, taking in the new information. "So...are the elves BLADEs, then? And Santa is like their Secretary - wait, is Nagi actually Santa?!"

Lin laughs as she sprinkles a spice into the bowl. "No, but you've gotta admit - that would be awesome."

Elma sighs. "Your analogy was almost accurate. The elves work under Santa, but unlike BLADE, they don't have divisions, and they don't fight indigens."

"How on Mira do they not have to fight indigens?! How do they defend themselves?!"

"Back on Earth, there was nothing hostile enough for the elves to defend against. Mira is an entirely different story."

Pongo can't help but continue to look confused; his head tilts as he tries to grasp these concepts. "Well, could Santa defend them? If he is a Secretary, he must have been chosen for a reason...was it for his strength?"

Elma considers how futile it is to try and explain this, and she knows that even if he eventually understood it, he would believe in it, just like Lin. She couldn't break his spirits like that! "He was chosen for his skills in making toys. There's a whole legend as to how he came to be Santa Claus."

"Santa Claus? What is the difference between Santa and Santa Claus?"

...Wow.

Lin giggles, finding his confusion amusing. "They're the same person! Claus is like his last name, almost like how I'm Lin Lee Koo - but you just call me Lin."

"Ooooooh." Pongo coos. "So...Santa and his elves make presents...why?"

"To give to the good kids!" Lin explains.

"Why not all of the kids? And why not adults, too?"

"He rewards the good kids for their good behavior while the bad kids get coal! And the adults don't believe in Santa so they don't get anything."

"...Coal..."

"An Earth resource," Lin says.

"...and what if an adult believes in Santa? What happens then?"

Lin frowns. "Um...I don't know, really. I bet they would get some sort of gift, but that's Santa's call to make."

Pongo's eyes light up. "So if I believe, Santa could bring me presents?"

Lin nods a few times. "It could happen!"

Pongo stands up, fists balled up in excitement. "In which case, I will show Santa that I am the biggest believer, so I can get lots of presents!" He turns back to them. "So, where exactly is he?"

Elma sighs a second time. "Pongo -"

"No one has ever seen him in any day besides Christmas," Lin tells him, "He just...he knows if you've been bad or good."

"...he has special powers then?!"

"Yes?"

"Then Santa will surely see me being good!" Pongo announces, starting back towards the barracks door. Elma stands up, unable to stop herself from telling Pongo the truth.

"Pongo, can we talk outside?"

Pongo scowls, but he nods after a short while. "Sure!"

Lin continues with her cooking, and Elma is thankful that she doesn't seem skeptical of their actions. Elma follows Pongo outside of the barracks and stops him on the other side of the door, being quiet even though there's no need to be.

"Pongo, I hate to tell you this, but...Santa is a fictional character. He's not real."

Pongo still smiles. "...what."

"Santa is a fairy tale. Lin believes it because she's still young." Elma looks down as she continues to tell him the ugly truth, "Her parents probably brought her presents to keep her belief strong. But...there is no Santa."

His expression turns to one of hope to one of complete and utter shock. "But she spoke of him in such a way that he has to be real!"

"She knows what she knows because of all the stories she's been told," Elma explains, "Every other human has been told the same stories, and grown out of the beliefs. It's a harsh reality, but I don't want you to be considered strange for believing in something so childish."

At this, Pongo's brow furrows. "I am already considered strange as it is. One more belief could not change that."

"Don't say that. People look up to you."

"No, they make an example of me. There is a large difference between the two."

"And that would be..."

"If they look up to me, they see me in a positive light. But using me as an example, that indicates they only see me as a way to get others to improve. It implies that I am not strong enough."

Elma shakes her head. "Strange way to put it."

"Strange." Pongo repeats, "Strange way to put it. But in my case, strangely accurate."

She crosses her arms over her chest, staring straight into his gaze with a deep frown. "We're getting off topic. Just know that he isn't real; if you choose to believe it or not is up to you. But for Lin's sake, don't say anything to her about it."

There's a silence between them as Pongo contemplates this request. She grows anxious as she wonders if she should've stayed quiet, let him have this belief, and let him find out the truth on his own. But Elma understands that he's physically twenty two years old, far past the age of a child, and it would be the responsible thing to do to get him to act his age.

"What day is Christmas on?" Pongo asks quietly, breaking the silence.

Elma replies quickly, "The 25th. Christmas Eve is the 24th."

"And that night, Santa supposedly brings presents to the good kids."

"You're right."

Pongo nods, unblinking. Then, without any warning, he turns around and begins to head towards Armory Alley. Elma calls after him, but doesn't move to follow him. "Rook! What are you doing?"

He stops in his tracks, hesitating before he gives his answer, not turning around to face her directly.

"Lin has been a good kid."

And with that, he walks away.


	22. Mira's Christmas, Part 2: The Mistletoe

Mira's Christmas - The Mistletoe

The date is December 23rd, one day before Christmas Eve, and the people of New LA scramble to find the right gifts for their loved ones while also trying to purchase food deemed worthy enough for a giant Christmas feast. So at this hour, the Commercial District is nothing short of chaotic, and people spend their afternoons there in a desperate final attempt to secure their holiday plans.

To Pongo, however, this is all too confusing. After being explained Christmas by Lin and Elma in brief detail, he had taken it upon himself to also search the databases of BLADE to see what he could make of the holiday. But it wasn't the same as having experience, he realized, and he had decided to roam New LA asking for help. After all, if he didn't know what Christmas was, how would he become the Santa Claus Lin was expecting on Christmas Eve?

As he walks along the sidewalks of the Commercial District, Pongo spots someone up ahead, and at first glance he thinks that it's one of his friends - Scarlen, to be exact. But as he grows closer, he points out that it's just someone similar in appearance - even has the same strange marking on his forehead, a rare characteristic that he has only observed with Scarlen. Nevertheless, he approaches the man, and gives an awkward wave to beckon him over.

"Ah, I hate to bother you, you are probably busy, but I have a few questions about Christmas that I would like to have answered."

"What do I look like, a fucking search engine?" The man scowls at him, folding his arms over his chest and turning to walk away before Pongo can ask anything else.

But he's determined to make Lin's Christmas the best one she's had, so he pleads with him, "Please, I did not mean to upset you! Really, just a few small things I need answered!"

"Why not use the BLADE database? That shit's bound to help you out."

"I tried that already -"

"Then you're out of fucking luck. Now go and pester some other unfortunate excuse for a human being and let me hate this holiday in peace." The man snarls before finally walking away. Pongo's shoulders slump. He hadn't read about people having negative reactions towards Christmas - certainly that was the reason he was being so salty?

He decides to move on and ask other people; one of them would probably be more willing than that Scarlen-imposter-clone-whatever the hell he was. The crowd grows larger around him, and he has to walk out of the way of the people with large shopping bags, because they don't seem to have any self control when it comes to swinging them around. Even when he takes precautions not to get hit, he feels the occasional pointy end of a bag hit his arm, and he grits his teeth a little, but maintains his smile.

Above the noise, Pongo hears a familiar voice, and without thinking twice he heads towards it. On the most southeastern end of the Commercial District, Pongo comes across L, a giant blue xenoform whose hands wave wildly as he speaks to a smaller, brown haired human with lights shining in his eyes. The only issue with this scenario is that L is donning a new outfit - Pongo identifies it as one of the elf uniforms he had read about - and it's so skin tight that Pongo wonders if he's getting enough circulation.

As Pongo approaches L, the brown haired human almost runs away, and Pongo watches them go, wondering what exactly had provoked them to do so. L spots him and gives a hearty smile. "Well, if it isn't our dearest comrade, Mira! Happy festivities to you!"

Pongo grins softly, a little bothered that L hadn't realized it wasn't Mira he was talking to. "And the same to you, L'Cirufe. If you do not mind me asking, why are you wearing..."

L purses his lips before answering, "We thought it proper to get into the happiness of the holiday season by dressing as one of the creatures that helps your Claus!"

He can't help but giggle. "You look good in it."

L laughs. "We know."

The blue skinned giant sighs. "Now, we sense that you come to us with a great struggle. Would you care to enlighten us?"

Pongo shrugs. Maybe L isn't the best person to ask about Christmas, but he's better than no one. "Well...do you know anything about Christmas?"

L nods his head enough to jingle the bell atop his green and red elf hat. "We do indeed! Ask us anything about this merry festivity and we are bound by rope to answer!"

"...alright, then." Pongo takes a deep breath, mentally scrolling through all of the questions he has. "...How does Santa deliver all of the presents in one night?"

L ponders this, holding a gloved hand to his chin. "Surely his dear rain helps with this?"

"...reindeer?"

"Indeed! The dearest rain pulls his slay and he flies like levitaths into the night sky!"

"So the reindeer must have properties of a levitath, and that is why they can pull his sleigh so fast!" Pongo declares in realization. As L claps in approval, Pongo asks his next question. "Hmm...do you know the purpose of mistletoe?"

L's eyes widen. "The toed missile! Ah, our favorite tradition!" He reaches into his pocket, one that Pongo hasn't noticed until now, and takes out a piece of the plant, complete with small red berries and pointy green leaves. Then, without any warning, L chucks it at Pongo's face. The pointy ends of the leaves hit him square in the cheek and he steps back, muttering, "Ow...L'Cirufe, what the..."

"The toed missile!" He explains, "The tradition goes that the toed missile must be thrown in the direction of two beings that you would desire to watch make love!"

"L'Cirufe, what the FUCK -"

"Is that not the term used for when two humans press their lips onto each other?"

"...kissing, L'Cirufe. Kissing."

"...Oh." L gives him an apologetic smile. "Perhaps that would be the slip upwards that caused our friend to run in terror. He seemed not to enjoy the concept of the toed missile once we tried to explain."

Pongo understands now why the brown haired man had run so quickly away from L, and he shakes his head, finding this slightly amusing. "That is alright." And then he realizes, L had explained this mistletoe in such a way that... "You threw the mistletoe at me. Do you expect me to..."

L brightens up. "Why, indeed we do! For the sake of tradition!"

"Oh..." Pongo's face goes red. "Ah...I mean..."

Before he can react, L has stooped down to his level, and all Pongo can see is his face. Two seconds later, L's lips are pressed against Pongo's in perhaps one of the most awkward attempts at a kiss. Pongo doesn't even have time to kiss back, as L makes it quick, standing back up to his usual height.

"Ah, how wonderful this tradition is!" L swoons as Pongo stands there, completely baffled. "But next time, do recall that the toed missile is meant for both beings to participate in. It would seem that we did most of the work there."

Pongo raises a finger to protest, but as the color drains from his cheeks he tries his best not to let this bother him. "...So...mistletoe has to be thrown at people you want to kiss..."

"Mostly for the purposes of making others kiss each other! 'Tis the gift of love, a beautiful sight for all to see!" L tells him with a happy little jump.

Pongo turns around to face the crowd behind him. This didn't sound terribly different from what he read, so how false could it be? Plus, the prospect of making people happy through the power of love made his mechanical heart flutter.

So he turns back to L, smiling like he's planning murder.

"I am going to need a lot of mistletoe."

Later in the day, as the sun begins to set, a couple walks hand in hand towards the Repenta Diner. Their hair colors are eccentric, to say the least - the man, Penta, has spiky green hair to complement his green shirt, while Senti, the woman, dons long pink locks that flow over her shoulders. She also wears a Christmas swearer, featuring the Grinch and a bent Christmas tree - a reminder of the Earth movie that had been saved with the Lifehold data.

As they walk together towards the diner, the shadows are Pongo's friends. He uses the cover of darkness to follow the couple until they're a few yards away, and then he reaches into the bag at his side, pulling out a small handful of mistletoe. He makes sure not to hold it too tightly, as he doesn't want it to make any noise, and with a swift flick of the wrist he sends it flying towards Penta. The mistletoe hits its mark, hitting his shoulder before bouncing into Senti's hands. Finding his work done, he moves to his next victims, and he doesn't hear their conversation afterwards.

"Ah, look at that, dear! Mistletoe!"

"Penta, where did it come from?..."

"Who cares? It's a good excuse to kiss you, at least!"

"You're adorable."

Pongo does see them kiss as he turns around briefly, and he grins softly as he revels in his little victory. At this rate, he is going to throw mistletoe at everyone he sees - but there's a few targets he wants to reach before that point.

While Penta and Senti are heading towards the diner, another couple has just walked out - Cain and Athena, two more of Pongo's friends. He pushes his back against the left wall of the diner, waiting for them to pass before he strikes. Mistletoe in hand, he waits with a patient smile for the right time to throw it. He hears parts of their conversation as they walk past, beginning with the sound of Cain's chuckles.

"I keep forgetting that it's Christmas, really. Was there anything you wanted?"

"I didn't have much in mind, no. The time I spend with you is a good enough gift."

"Surely there's something -"

And there goes the mistletoe, hitting the back of Cain's head with a crunchy thud. The mistletoe lands near his feet, and as Cain bends down to pick it up Pongo disappears from view, running to meet his next target, whom he spots walking along the road of the Industrial District. Cain laughs as he figures out what it is that he's holding, then turns to Athena with a smile.

"So...would a kiss count as an early Christmas gift?"

The final target is a somewhat familiar face, whom he had encountered a few hours earlier. Pongo figures that, since Sydney didn't seem in a good mood, a good mistletoe kiss with someone would cheer him up. And that lucky person would be the next one to walk near him, that way they could both see it. This is the one that Pongo will stick around to watch.

And the first person to walk past him is...

Pongo smiles evilly.

Perfect.

He waits for the two to make conversation, because they both clearly will talk to each other - if anything, to insult each other. So he waits yet again, and listens for the right moment to come.

Sydney sneers at the newcomer, "Well if it isn't Alex-ass."

Alexis scowls at him. "Real original, Syd. Real original."

Pongo's trembling in excitement, he can't hold back the urge to chuck the mistletoe right at Sydney. For the third time, it hits its mark, and Sydney yells a curse as he picks up the mistletoe, looking at it strangely.

"The fuck is this? And who threw it?! I swear, if this is some kind of prank -"

Alexis laughs at Sydney, causing him to spin in his direction as he says, "Obviously someone has no sense of mistletoe. That, or the fucker who threw it wants us to make out like some gay romance protagonists."

They both turn towards the source of the mistletoe's shot, but at first the don't see Pongo smiling like an idiot behind the back wall of the diner, away from their view. He knows it might take a while for them to kiss, but either way, he believes that Sydney sounds just a tiny bit happier. Alexis? Eh, Pongo decides he'll try another person for Alexis for the mistletoe. Not everyone is a perfect pair.

However, Pongo has been thinking about this for far too long and doesn't discover that Sydney and Alexis are standing to his right until it's a little too late. His eyes widen and he smiles awkwardly as they both fold their hands over their chest, scowling at the black haired BLADE.

"...did you kiss yet?..."


	23. Mira's Christmas, Part 3: Santago!

Mira's Christmas, Part 3 - Operation, Santago!

''Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the city, not a creature was stirring - well, except for Pongo, who was blaring an Earth song in his barracks as he makes the last preparations to his costume. He had tried to get it close to the actual image of Santa Claus, but he couldn't help adding in his own flare here and there. Now, the traditional costume resembled something more of Nagi's uniform, highlighted in reds, blacks, and whites. The hat, however, featured relatively little change, and it sits on the table next to Pongo as he slips into the costume. Thank the gods, it's a perfect fit. He smiles as he twirls around in the mirror, admiring his reflection. He admits, it feels a little strange around the chest, but that's because the inside pocket has his list of people and their gifts.

"If skin tight suits were weapons, we would perish!"

Pongo turns around as he watches L enter the room through a back hallway, donning his same elf outfit and holding a large burlap bag in his left hand. Pongo knows what's inside it: all of the presents that he intends to give to his friends. He's not quite sure how Santa was able to fit a whole planet's worth of gifts inside just one bag, but for now he grins widely at L, who has helped him this entire time getting prepared for this night.

"I think I could surely pass as Santa Claus himself!" Pongo exclaims, looking down at his shiny black boots that feature a small heel on the back, "Maybe I could try this every Christmas! Maybe everyone will think I am the actual Santa Claus!"

L laughs heartily at him. "Oh, dear, we think that would be close to impossible. For you see, the jolly old man sports a large accumulation of white hair upon his chin."

"He has a beard?!" Pongo cries, unconsciously touching his smooth cheeks with a gloved hand. "Oh gods, I have no time to grow a beard!"

L approaches him, staring deep into his eyes like he has a plan to help. "Well, good sir, while it may prove difficult to grow such an accumulation, there are those who have gladly created removable ones for usage!"

"Fake beards," He clarifies, "That could work! But I have no idea who sells them -"

In a quick movement L boops his nose with his empty hand, and Pongo's nose twitches in confusion as L informs him, "We have the tools necessary to create one within the hour! For the angry times, perhaps it would be wise to start on your deliveries?"

Pongo nods in agreement. "Right. Presents over beard. The happiness of my friends over doing things right."

L smiles. "Then we will gift you with your gifts!" He hands the burlap bag over to Pongo, the bottom of it swinging in the air as he lifts it high. Pongo takes it, but as soon as L lets go, the weight becomes apparent and Pongo's hand flies downwards as the bag hits the floor with a thud.

"Oh my gods?! How is this so heavy?!" He cries as L frowns at him.

"Well, you have many friends, and in return, you bring many gifts!"

This logic makes Pongo look up at the blue skinned xenoform with a gentle grin. "You really know how to cheer me up, L'Cirufe."

Pongo places the bag down for a second to straighten his spine, coming up to be a full foot shorter than L. "Thanks. For everything."

L nods. "And many thanks to you for allowing us to help with your mission!"

One quick movement later, and they each press their heads into the crease of their elbow while throwing their hands back. Somebody needs to explain that dabs are not a form of thanking someone.

Pongo picks up the bag again, struggling a little to lift it high enough to move, and goes to fetch his hat, placing it on top of his head and letting the fluffy cotton ball on top fall to the back. Moving some stray strands of hair away from his face, he gives L a curt nod. "Well, I should be going then. If I am to be Santa Claus, then all these gifts have to be delivered by tonight!"

"It would be, as you say, a rushed hour," L replies, "So we shall not delay you any further! Go and spread the delight of Christmas!"

Pongo turns and leaves out of the front door of the barracks, exiting out into the eerily quiet Administrative District. Since Secretary Nagi had called for a BLADE vacation, no operatives were even allowed to work through the night - a dangerous, yet convenient choice for someone who wanted to play Santa Claus for a night.

His first stop isn't very far. He spots the door just across from the terminals, the door he had walked through many times when he was a part of Elma's team. With a few small grunts of exasperation, he hauls he bag into his shoulder, trying hard not to move it around too much for fear of wrecking some of the more fragile gifts inside. When he approaches the door, Pongo opens it with his left hand, and it swings open without any trouble. That's one thing he knows will never change: Elma's door is always open.

Stepping inside, he does his best to be quiet, deciding to take the first gift out of the bag and leaving the rest behind. Hauling it around would surely make some noise, and he can't risk being heard. If Santa Claus could do this without being spotted, then so could he.

The gift he pulls out is wrapped in green and red paper, complete with a big red bow on top. There's a little note stuck to it that is written in a combination of Pongo and L's handwriting - a strange attempt at forging Santa Claus's signature that resulted in a collection of small, big, and indecipherable letters. He holds it carefully in the crease of his elbow as he walks forward, moving past the kitchen. He walks up the ramp leading to the holofigure room, where the girls have set up a collection of Ovis figurines. He smiles to himself before heading through a door to the right, and into the bedrooms.

It's a relatively small room, featuring two twin beds on each side of the wall. In the one closest to the door, Lin shifts a little in her sleep, dark purple covers protecting her as she dreams. The other is where Elma usually sleeps, but he is not sure where she is now - perhaps she was sleeping on the couches near the kitchen, and he didn't notice. But Elma isn't his target right now.

Lin is.

Pongo takes the gift and places it at the very edge of her bed, careful not to touch her foot. He lingers there for a moment, grinning softly as he watches Lin's sleeping form. She's like a little sister to him - of course he wants to give her the world. Would this small gift be enough? He hopes so.

Suddenly, Lin turns towards the wall. He can barely hear her whisper in her sleep, "Santa?..."

Okay, there goes Pongo's heart, beating at a thousand miles an hour. His hand rests on the edge of her bedpost, and he does his best to make his voice sound just a little bit deeper as he quietly says, "Merry Christmas, Lin."

And with that, he leaves the room, his work done - or at least, this part.

Next person on the list is Soleil, a familiar and friendly name to Pongo. He knows where her barracks is and lands his Skell a little farther away from its entrance, hopping out and grabbing the bag to rummage around for her gift. The thing here is that he can't go inside her barracks - not only does he wonder why Santa Claus broke in to every house like a criminal, but he also realizes that it's locked. Even if he wanted to go inside, he can't, unless he broke down the door with a perfectly aimed Phenomenon shot. And, well...his aim sucks.

He pulls out Soleil's gift, a pink ribboned box that he knows contains a very fluffy, bright yellow sweater. Pongo found it fitting that she got such a bright sweater; she's brightened up his life on multiple occasions. He places the box in front of the door and steps back, heading to the bag to pull out the next gift, since the location of the next person is literally a few yards away from Soleil's barracks.

This box is significantly smaller, and it features a wrapping paper with small white storks on it. For Penta and Senti, this gift is more aimed towards their newborn baby girl, Petuniah - baby shoes, tiny little soles that were maybe half the size of Pongo's hand. He takes the box over to the next door, places it gently on the ground, and runs back to his Skell, taking off as quietly as possible into the night sky to reach his next target.

Orion is a new BLADE, so new that Pongo didn't quite know her as well as his previous stops. But just as he had figured out what his friends wanted for Christmas, he had figured out a perfect gift for her: a huggable star plushie, complete with a smiling face and a soft texture. The box has a star design on it, and as he places the box in front of her barracks the stars almost light up as they reflect the lights of the city. Pongo grins to himself before getting back to his Skell, already feeling himself grow excited with the fact that he would be making everyone's life better with these gifts.

The next stop is for a BLADE he looks up to, but has never formally met: Mina. As he pulls up to her barracks, he reaches into his sack of presents and pulls out several bags of unprepared coffee, the finest mixture he had ever had on Mira. As he places the bags down near the door, Pongo hopes and prays that she likes it just as much as he does, and as he walks away he wonders if he should've gotten her bourbon too - it always seems like she's married to the stuff.

Then, there's finding Elysia's barracks. Pongo has to leave two gifts here - unfortunately, Osiary didn't stick around for Christmas, and he could locate him to deliver his gift, so he had decided to leave it with his best friend. Grabbing the long, slender box for Elysia, Pongo remembers its contents: a collection of cat teasers, three to be exact, and all with different colored feathers on the ends. Osiary's gift is a little more simple. Pongo takes out a rock with a bow on it and leaves it next to the wrapped box before heading back to his Skell.

The next BLADE is another one he looks up to: Rourke. As he approaches his barracks, Pongo starts to wonder if he'll ever be as strong as the higher BLADEs, if he'll ever be as strong as Rourke. He takes out the right gift - a box with green wrapping, containing a new paddleball - and places it tenderly in front of Rourke's barracks, before jogging back to his Skell to get another gift for the person next door. This box is a little smaller, but it contains a prime item only found in Oblivia - a Nopolith. Reyne seems to have an interest for rare items, he had observed before, so surely this would count as a good present.

Like Reyne and Rourke, his next two stops are directly across from each other. His Skell lands softly next to a yellow door and he hops out of the cockpit, bag in hand. He pulls out two boxes that are tied to each other with blue ribbon: one holds a soft new blanket with some hot chocolate mix, and the longer one holds a new glaive that L had designed just for the occasion. Pongo had overheard Llyud's conversation about wanting one and didn't want to fight multiple tyrants to claim one, so what would be a better Christmas gift than getting a completely original one?

Pongo places the two gifts down in front of the yellow door and turns to the one next to it before running to get the gift for the next person. For Scarlen, he pulls out a perfectly square box, which he knows contains a very heartfelt present that he had worked with L to create. It is a photo-book, containing all of the pictures of his friends and the times they shared together on Mira. Smiling gently, he can't help but feel his heart pounding as he places the box against the door. If this gift didn't make Scarlen happy, he didn't know what would.

Another few of his targets live near each other, and two pairs even live with each other. It's a simple walk down towards their barracks from Scarlen's, and he's at his destination. He eyes one door, which he knows leads to Kruse and Jaynix's barracks. Again, he pulls out two gifts for each of them: a book on the history and anatomy of mimeosomes, and a new red silk dress, respectively. The former had been a struggle to find; he had to look through some wreckage on the continents to recover it, and even then it was still a little bent out of shape. But he hopes they both enjoy the gifts nevertheless.

Once he places them down, he spins towards the next targets, who again, live with each other in the same barracks. For Cross and Saori, he takes the bag and whips out a tiny box with Saori's gift inside: a pair of pink headphones that he had bought from the Commercial District, said to last for years without needing repair or replacement. As for Cross, he takes out a much larger box that rattles a little, much to his concern. Baking pans sure are loud, and they seem even louder when there's no noise to try and hide it.

After he puts the gifts down at their door, Pongo rushes back to grab the next gifts. Videra lives alone, but he still pulls out two gifts, since she had talked about two things she wanted: the first is a progen plushie, an absolutely adorable stuffed animal Pongo wishes he could get in the near future. The second, much heavier gift is an invention L had whipped up: dual swords, shaped and colored exactly like candy canes. He lets out a small when he places them at her door as he begins to imagine what it would be like fighting indigens with them. He's not a dual swords expert, but surely it would be fun to take our enemies with them!

Next on the list is a BLADE he's not familiar with, but then again, he's not familiar with most of the BLADEs he's giving gifts to - heck, Santa couldn't have personally known EVERYONE he was giving to, right? Nevertheless, as Pongo takes out a box containing something called a Nintendo Switch, he giggles at the name of the person receiving it: MeekMeek. Such an adorable name. He puts the box down next to his door before running back to his Skell, his work in this area complete.

There's three in the next area, so Pongo parks his Skell next to the first place and decides to run for the other two. The first gift, for a BLADE named Crow, is a stuffed saltat. He takes the box out of the bag and it makes a honking noise, scarring the ever loving heck out of him. He hopes no one heard it as he places it next to the door.

For the second person, a BLADE called Nicole, the box is slightly smaller, and it holds a red bandana inside. Pongo had found it by luck in one of the stores of the Commercial District, and found it odd that no one in BLADE wore them. They're pretty stylish. He hopes that he chose an appropriate color for Nicole.

As for the final gift for this area, Pongo slips a pink box out of the bag. He knows this is for Tei, another BLADE he's not too familiar with. Inside it is a pair of the fuzziest pink socks imaginable, and despite the lack of seasons on Mira, they'd surely be comfy - if anything, just a nuisance to wear with shoes.

Rushing back to his Skell, he looks up quickly at the sky above him, trying to judge the time by using the position of the moons as a guide. He realizes a few minutes later that he could just as easily look at his comm device instead, and with a sigh, he opens up a pocket to pull it out. The time reads: 1:49. He's making good time, but there's still plenty of barracks to get to. As he puts his comm device back in his pocket he suddenly discovers that there's something within the opposite pocket. Tenderly reaching inside, he pulls out a delicate, purple and blue colored hibiscus. Pongo frowns, wondering when he had the time to put it there, but then he reminds himself that this is a gift for someone in this area: Katell. He sprints over to her door, placing the hibiscus down gently next to the wall, so it wouldn't be crushed when the door opened. However, as he feels a breeze pick up, he makes the decision to use something heavy to hold it down, or at least make it stick to the ground.

"...Yes!" Pongo finds a small box in his back pocket, and for some reason it's empty inside. It's almost like he knew he was going to screw something up - or maybe this was L's doing? He doesn't think on it long as he places the flower inside the box and puts the top back on, leaving it next to the door with no ribbons to hold it down. This would be enough to withstand any wind, he figures as he runs back to his Skell to keep delivering his presents.

Pongo's Skell touches down next to the location for his next three BLADEs, two of which share a barracks together. He knows them well: Cain and Athena, two people he looks up to. Taking the bag, he rummages around for their gifts, and he finally pulls out Athena's, a novel from Earth titled "Doctor Sleep." Cain's is similar, and he knows this book much better as he was introduced to the series by Elma: The Lord of the Rings, all three books compiled into one copy. He knows Cain will enjoy it, all of the adventure and action...plus, really cute elves.

After he delivers these, Pongo runs back to the burlap bag to grab the next gift. He knows Sera by name and name alone, so finding this gift was a little tough, but he eventually had settled on a nice blanket and pillow set that is super comfy and is almost guaranteed to make her smile. He takes out the set, which he needs to hug around his chest as he carries it to her door to drop off.

Pongo's Skell leaves behind a purple hued trail as it flies to the next destination, where he will deliver two more gifts to two different barracks. His first is for Sy'Chell, a dear friend of his that he believes needs several thousand hugs a day to keep the angst away. He pulls out a cube shaped box with some smaller rectangular shaped ones alongside it; the bigger one holds a new Casca, complete with the newest software so that it wouldn't be interfered with during those pesky electromagnetic storms that he knows Sy complains about. As for the smaller boxes...spray paint. He has no idea why Sy asked for this, but he bought them anyways.

After delivering these to Sy's door, he goes back to grab the second person's present. A BLADE known as Flame is his next target, and he pulls out a box with a penginion plushie inside. Though he never heard her ask for it, Pongo learned through observation, as he did with quite a few of the BLADEs he didn't know as well, so he hopes that he nailed this present as he places it at her door, jogging back to his Skell and flying back up into the sky to get to his next location.

Landing next to Mavis's barracks, Pongo jumps out and makes sure the carefully take out the next box. Thankfully, the box hasn't been dented at all - would've been really bad if it had been, considering there's chocolate chip muffins inside. He places the blue wrapped present at her door and rushes to get the next one, another box of food for a BLADE named Stars. Another cute name, he thinks with a grin as he slips the box of cookies out to slide into the floor next to his barracks door, just across from Mavis's.

The time is 5:04, about an hour before everyone would be waking up, and Pongo leaves the now empty bag by his Skell as he takes the last hand-held gifts up to the final destinations: Draco's barracks, directly next to Aevi's. The present for Draco contains a few history books that he had found in Elma's library that she had given to Pongo, but he didn't have as much of a love for Earth's history as Draco did, so passing them on to "Squad Dad" would definitely make them both happier in the end.

As for Aevi's gift, it is something Pongo wishes he had himself: an Ovis plushie, soft to the touch. Pongo places this at Aevi's door and lets his gaze linger on the flower wrapping paper containing the toy before turning around.

As he steps away, Pongo takes out his comm device and calls L, who picks up almost immediately. "Well well! How did your giving of gifts turn out?"

"It went perfectly!" Pongo tells him, keeping his voice down as to not wake up any of the sleeping BLADEs. "Now, how are you faring with the two big ones?"

"Ah, we had some troubles getting one to its respective BLADE, since we don't quite understand the workings of a human car as of yet."

Pongo knows he's referring to the solid gold Bugatti Veyron that he had worked with L to build for Sydney, a BLADE that is salty 100% of the time, but still deserved a present. "Please tell me you were able to get it to his barracks without damaging it-"

"Indeed we did! There are no scratches to be seen!" L interrupts.

Pongo sighs in relief. "And how about my Urban? Were you able to get it to Sora?"

"But of course! Sora will love it with all of his hearts!" The xeno chirps in delight. "All of the gifts have been delivered, and all in thanks to you!

Pongo closes his eyes. "Well...I have one more present to give. But this one is personal. Thanks for all of your help, L'Cirufe. I hope you enjoy your Christmas!"

"We shall enjoy every second of it!" L says before the comm goes silent. Putting it away, Pongo heads towards his Skell, preparing to head home.

And home, in this case, is not in his own barracks.

Mr. Stake is sound asleep in his workshop when Pongo steps inside his barracks. The room is dark, not a single light on except for in Stake's room, where he sleeps with his head resting in his arms as he leans on the table in front of him. Scattered in the table are nuts and bolts and tools of a mixed variety, but there is just enough space for Pongo to place Stake's gift down, right next to his hand to see when he wakes.

This was perhaps the most difficult present to procure, but the most meaningful, in the end. It's Stake's phone from Earth, which he had stolen last night. L and he had tinkered with its mechanics and they were finally able to recover all of its data after hours of labor, but what Pongo needed to recover on it was Stake's family photos. He knew Stake wanted nothing more than to remember, and maybe the photos would help.

As much as he wants to stay up and watch Stake's face light up at the present, Pongo feels his fatigue starting to catch up with him, and he lets out a giant yawn before stepping back into the living room, where he collapses onto the couch, knocked out.

But in the morning, Stake's eyes flutter open, uncovered by his goggles. The first thing his eyes perceive is his phone, right next to his hand. He picks it up and enters the passcode, and instantly he is greeted with a picture of him and some people standing around him. Tears well up in his eyes - are they his family? And how did they appear so suddenly, when he had no data on his phone before?

Getting up, he continues to scroll through the images, heading into the kitchen to make himself breakfast. He almost doesn't see Pongo passed out on the couch, still in his Santa costume, until he lowers the phone to grab a glass from a cabinet above him. Stake stares at his boyfriend for a while, trying to piece together the reasons for all of these strange happenings.

Then, it hits him.

Stake's jaw drops. How could he...how did he...

He walks over to Pongo, bending down next to him and staring into his closed eyes. He does the only thing he can think of: he kisses his forehead softly, so as not to disturb his sleep.

"Thank you..."

And in his sleep, Pongo whispers back:

"...and a happy new year..."


End file.
